An Accident that Brought us Together
by King Lurk
Summary: Maki wasn't sure what would happen in her life. One accident almost changed it. Another person came into her life and tries to break through her barriers but it would make some complications with her friends. Find out what happens inside.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Heyo guys, still remember me? Yes? No? Doesn't matter. I'm gonna try my hand on regular school life just to honor a friend's request. Reviews, Favorites and Follows are truly appreciated.**

 **Well let's get on with the show.**

* * *

The rain hammered down on the cement. A lone girl tried to hurry through the rain. Her red hair was slightly wet and the sides of her uniform was in the same state because of the rain. The umbrella above her head struggled to get out of her hands. Nishikino Maki cursed the rain although this proved to be a mistake for the rain, or more precisely, the God of Rain seemed to have grown angry as the droplets felt more like bullets as when it comes into contact with her skin, it hurt her.

Suddenly, there was a more powerful gust of wind causing the umbrella to fly from her grasp. She stopped now, completely wet by the rain. She turned around and tried to reach for her flying umbrella. The roar of thunder was just in time with the sudden honk of the horn of a car passing through. Her eyes widened as the headlights came into view but it quickly shut as she knew that she was going to be hit and there's nothing she can do about it but to wait for the impact.

She fell, body hitting the pavement below her… but it didn't hurt as much as she thought. She opened her eyes… to find that she wasn't hurt at all. It took a while to process as she slowly stood up and turned around…

To see that another has taken her place. A young male teen was lying down on the street, blood staining his hair. The rain quickly washed away the fresh blood seeping through his wound. Her instincts quickly acted on itself and she ran to the teen to check him over. The owner of the car phoned for an ambulance and it seemed like the Nishikino family was the one to answer the call.

Maki knew that he was unconscious as he didn't groan or anything. The blunt trauma must've been too much for him. But anyways, her concern was the bleeding. She found that it was in the head so she quickly tried to cover it with her handkerchief. The blood soaked the piece of cloth quickly indicating that he was bleeding pretty badly.

The driver quickly asked if she needed any aid but she declined. The driver was a young man, most likely hurrying back from work. She didn't blame him really. It was raining and no one could see anything three feet from them. Even if he was going slowly, which he should've been, he would've still hit him with enough force to hurt her. He apologized over and over and even offered to pay for her "friend's" hospitalization. She declined this since it would be free anyway and just told him to sit down in the car and wait for the police to come. It would be hard to win in court against something like this.

The sound of the ambulance coming nearer invaded her senses. It cut through the sound of the hammering rain so it was easy to hear. It stopped near the teen and Maki before the two climbed inside with the help of two other nurses. The driver was left in his car as the police came to take him away. Poor guy.

The ride to the hospital was painfully quiet. Besides the sound of the cardiometer beeping and the ambulance's sound. Her eyes gazed over his form. He had dark brown hair that was swept to the left and had a normal build for a normal male student. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully, his face neutral, devoid of any emotions. He wasn't as pale as she expected so that was good. He wore a dark blue blazer over a white shirt and wore dark blue slacks. An emblem was embedded on the left breast pocket of the blazer. It was a circle with the letters 'AG'. It seemed familiar to her somehow, like she had seen it somewhere… or from someone.

The ambulance finally arrived and she was rushed in. She disembarked the vehicle and headed inside. The sight of her entering caught the attention of some of the employees though. Either because of her red hair, her amethyst eyes or the air that she carried around her, they immediately knew who she was. Nishikino Maki, the daughter of their beloved President. A nurse quickly tended to her, asking if there was anything she needed.

"I want that person to have free care here." Maki stated, gesturing to the unconscious body being wheeled into the Ermergency Room. "He saved my life; it is the least I can do for him. Also, tell me once he is conscious. I would like to thank him personally." She then stole a glance outside. "And tell my mother to pick me up. I'm afraid I can't travel in this weather lest I want the same thing to happen again." She said.

"Yes ma'am." The nurse replied. "Although, would you want to get a check-up ma'am? We're not sure if you got hurt in the process…"

The red head shook her head. "No need." She knew her body well and none of them felt broken. Bruised but that was way better than being broken and those were on places that would rarely be seen whenever she sings on stage. "I'll wait here." She said. The nurse nodded and quickly scampered to the phone to talk to Mrs. Nishikino.

Maki sat down and observed the happenings inside the hospital. This has been a normal sight for her, especially nowadays with her parents taking her to the hospital to know what the business that would be passed down to her looks like and how it operates. Everyone was working diligently, nothing less from the employees handpicked by the Nishikino family of course.

" _Ne, Maki-chan~ Can we please not go here anymore? The colors are too… too bland for me…"_ Right, those were the words of her friend who loathed going to the hospital. He claimed that everything was bland when it was here. Like the colors were dimming everytime they were here.

" _But you have to. Your condition needs to be checked up on regularly and we're still studying your case of synesthesia."_ Was her response. Her friend quickly deflated and just shrugged. Ah, the memories when they were young.

She was quickly snapped by to reality when the door opened to reveal her mother standing there, an umbrella at hand. "Let's go Maki-chan." She said. The redhead stood up from her seat and headed over to her mother. Wow, she was fast.

* * *

The next day wasn't so different than the other days. She went to school and was immediately shocked when she was inquired about the past happenings. It seems Muse was informed of her near-death experience.

"Maki-chan!" Rin exclaimed before tackling her into a hug, rubbing her face on hers making the 'Ice Queen' blush in pure embarrasment.

"R-Rin! Get off me!" Maki exclaimed, pushing the cat-girl away from her. The latter obliged to it though as she hopped off of her.

Hanayo caught up with her friend. "Maki-chan… I'm glad you're alright. We heard that you got hit by a car." She said.

"What?" Maki asked. "I didn't get hit by a car. Someone… someone pushed me out of the way…" She admitted.

"Eh?" Rin looked at Hanayo as if sharing a secret and silent conversation with each other and Maki didn't mind not being a part of it. "Well, that's great then nya~! At least we don't have to worry about you!"

"At least you're safe." Hanayo said with a smile. "Let's get to classes then." She continued and the two nodded and they all headed to their classroom.

The day went by relatively normal. Apparently, only Rin and Hanayo were the only ones who heard the news but of course, they felt obliged to at least tell it to the others. Something like that shouldn't be kept a secret right?

"... And that's what happened." Maki finalized with her arms crossed. Everyone's attention was on her the whole time she relayed her story.

"Uwaa! Good thing you're alright Maki-chan!" Honoka exclaimed as she attempted to tackle her into a hug much like Rin earlier but the redhead knew what was about to happen and dodged immediately letting their leader fall to the ground. "That's mean Maki-chan!" Honoka said as she stood up, rubbing her head but seemingly unharmed.

"That's why you should be more careful Mrs. Tsundere!" Nico exclaimed, finding the new insult she had come up with to be better than everything she had thought of before.

Maki glared at Nico but knew that petite third year was right until Nozomi interjected. "Even if she was careful, it would have happened sometime later. It was in your fate."

"To be hit by a car?" Eri asked her best friend, seemingly finding this to be unlikely or even impossible.

Nozomi shook her head. "To be saved by a young man." She replied.

Maki rolled her eyes. She was never one to believe in any of those. "That's impossible. It was merely a chance coincidence. Should I have been more careful or if it wasn't raining then I think it wouldn't have happened."

Nozomi smiled at her. "It seems you still don't believe my fortunes but oh well." It doesn't really matter much nowadays. In the end, most do believe her.

"Well anyway, we should continue with the practice yes?" Umi suggested, knowing that the topic has come to a close. Maki was safe and that was all that matters. Although the person who saved her was still in an unsure condition.

"RIght, let's go!" Honoka exclaimed, regaining her original bubbliness.

And so Muse started their usual practice. Nothing in the atmosphere was strained. They were concerned for Maki at first but the latter didn't show any signs of being hurt so they continued like it was nothing.

Suddenly, Maki's phone rung and she paused her practice to pick it up. She looked at the caller's ID and noticed that it was the hospital calling her. She quickly picked up.

"Hello?"

" _Ah, Ms. Nishikino. The one who saved you has woken up an hour before. It seems he hasn't gotten seriously injured and we just had to stitch up the scar on his head and put a cast on his right leg. Although we won't be dispatching him tomorrow since we will observe if he can stand by then."_ The one on the other side explained.

"Ah good. I'll head there after practice. Please relay that to my mother and father as well." Maki said.

" _It will be done ma'am."_

She then hung up the phone and returned to her groupmates who were waiting for her. "Was it the hospital Maki?" Eri asked as the redhead returned.

"Yes. It seems the man was fine. Now I can rest easy knowing that the person who saved my life isn't dead." Maki said with a sigh, the weight on her heart had now disappeared into nothingness.

"Alright then. Maybe you should go ahead and thank your saviour Maki. There's nothing much left to do after all, just a few more polishing of the steps." The blonde said as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You got the steps after all so you can go."

Maki looked at the quarter Russian before nodding. "If you say so then I'll go."

"Take care Maki-chan. Say thanks to him for us nya!" Rin exclaimed as she and the others waved goodbye to the redhead. Of course they had to say thanks as well since they just saved an important person to them.

And so Maki departed to the hospital in her school uniform. She would need to visit anyway so it would be efficient for her to do this. She wondered who the teen really was. Well she would get her questions answered after they meet anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yo, what's up everybody? Here's the next chapter. This time, I really had a lot of help from my friends so your reviews will make them happy, I'm sure.**

 **Cheezus: Yes, yes, she is the main character and will continue to appear.**

 **pepe: Uh... thank you for your honest opinion I guess?**

 **Makironiandcheese: Roger that.  
**

 **Rena Bodewig: Hey again. I just love me my OCs. Thanks for tuning in once more to another story of mine. Really appreciated.**

* * *

Maki proceeded to the room where her saviour was being held. It had been quite a while since she entered a room because she was going to visit someone. The last time she had done this was to her childhood friend who had been admitted to the hospital a bunch of times thanks to his condition.

She silently opened the door. The room was the same as ever. The same white walls, blue curtains and bed. A lone teen was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, bored with nothing to do around there, it isn't surprising.

The sound of the door opening seemed to catch his attention as his head slowly tuned to the side. The top of his head was not bandaged anymore. His violet eyes stared up to her, seemingly confused on who and why she was here. She was too young to be a nurse here. He had his right leg elevated. Ah yes, the broken leg. Maki almost forgot about that.

"Hello there." Maki greeted in the best way she can when she talked with a stranger. She closed the door and sat down on the chair.

"Uh… hi." The teen replied. "Who are you? I don't think you're one of my family members…" He said.

The redhead twirled her hair, as per her habit, and replied, "I was the girl you saved. That's why you're here."

The teen's eyes widened at the revelation. "Oh! I see. I couldn't see clearly who I did save because of the stupid rain. I just saw a hint of red before everything blacked out." He continued with a little nervous laugh.

"A-Anyway, thank you very much for saving me." Maki said with a small bow. "I assure you that you won't pay any of the hospital bills; I'll take care of those. You can rest easy knowing that there won't be a high price once you get out." She informed him.

"W-What?" The teen stuttered out. "No need to pay for my hospital bills! It's alright really! I'm sure my parents would decline as well…"

"Thank you for taking my family's wealth into consideration but if you do not know, my parents are the owners of this hospital. It's the least my family can do to you for saving my life." She said as she continued to twirl her hair around her finger. "My name is Nishikino Maki. Maybe you've heard of my family name."

The teen stared at her dumbfounded. The person in front of him was the daughter of the owners of this hospital… Not only that but the daughter of the famous Nishikino family! One of the best hospitals in Japan! And he saved her… "Wow." He muttered to himself. He seriously cannot think of anything coherent. Well to him, saving the daughter of a millionaire was pretty big.

Maki looked at him, not understanding why he was so stunned. "Anyway, is there anything else you need? As long as it is in our reach, we can do something for you." Even if she thought that having him stay for free was enough, if the teen still wanted something, she was obliged to make it happen.

The teen snapped out of it and quickly shook his head. "No! This is more than enough. Thank you very much Nishikino-san. This really helps me and my family a lot. If we had to pay, then we probably would encounter some problems.

"If you say so." Maki said. "By the way, what is your name?" She asked. She at least had to know the name of that person.

"Katanashi Shun." The brown haired teen replied with a smile. "It is very nice to meet you Nishikino-san." He then sighed as he rested his head back on the pillow. "I still can't believe I saved someone really."

"Oh really now?" Maki asked. "Well you better believe it. Now if there's nothing else you want, I have to go now." She said as she stood up to leave.

"Ah!" Shun seemed to be slightly against the idea of her leaving so quickly.

"What?" The redhead asked as she looked back at him.

The cold treatment froze him solid. "Uh…" He couldn't speak as she looked at him. He was not used to this kind of treatment it seems. "Nothing. I just… nevermind."

Maki seemed to realize what she had done and stifled a sigh. "Sorry…" She muttered. "Are you lonely?"

Shun looked at her with an embarrassed smile. "A little bit." He replied in a meek way. "I'm just honestly bored though."

"So, what do you want to do?" Maki asked.

"Talk?" Shun suggested.

"About?" But all she got in response was a small shrug. She sat down and tried to think of something. She wasn't one to initiate anything though. Her eyes gazed to the uniform neatly folded up on the cupboard. "Ah, that 'AG'... what does it stand for?"

"Ah, you mean my school? Amagiri Gakuen." Shun replied. "An all-boys school near here." He continued.

"I see." Maki said. "Well I'm from Otonokizaka High. Have you heard of it?" She asked, just for the sake of conversation.

The brown haired teen nodded. "Yeah. It's the school near ours. Know the intersection? Go left to Otonokizaka and go right to go to Amagiri."

"Oh, now I remember. It was a common mistake for a new student to get lost through the intersection right?" Maki asked and he nodded.

"And that's why the signs were created." Shun said.

Maki had run out of what to say and as if on cue, someone entered the room. He had navy blue hair and blue eyes. He looked a taller than both Maki and Shun. He also wore the same uniform as Shun did when he was admitted to the hospital. From the dark blue blazer to the blue slacks, it was the same. It looked like he was a friend of Shun's.

"Ah, Rei!" Shun exclaimed as he looked at the new arrival. "I didn't know you'll visit today."

Rei nodded at his friend before laying his eyes upon the woman inside. "Nice to meet you. I am Sato Reifu." He said with a small bow.

"Nishikino Maki." She said, responding in kind. "A pleasure to meet you as well. Katanashi-kun's friend I assume?"

"I am." Reifu said as he walked to them, a bag in hand. "Here's what you missed in school, Shun, and some snacks." He said as he handed the bag to his friend.

The teen seemed to deflate at the news. He took the bag and opened it. "Aw, you even made notes for me."

"Idiot, I did not." Reifu said. "Those are my notes so you better transfer it. I cannot write both your and my notes at the same time. You know how fast our teachers go."

Shun chuckled at Reifu. "Right, right. I'll do it as soon as I'm discharged." He said with a mock salute. "But can you please help me? I have no idea what these even are." He said as he flipped the notebook open and looked at the notes there.

"Ah, I don't get much of it as well, sadly." Reifu replied with a shrug. He still had to study more of it. Maki stood up from her seat.

"Let me see." The redhead demanded and Shun handed the notebook to her and she began to read it. "Ah, we already tackled this. You guys are first years as well? Well anyway, I can help you catch up with these."

"Yeah." Shun replied with a nod. "Really?" It was obvious that Shun was happy with the suggestion. "Thank you so very much Nishikino-san!" He said before bowing in thanks.

"This is one of the things I can do for you so it's fine. Really." The redhead said. "I'll visit again tomorrow to help you with your work alright?" She then stood up and then bowed her head at Reifu and Shun. "Well I really must go now. Good day to you two." She said before leaving.

"Uh, bye and thanks again." Shun said as he waved at her. Reifu, on the other hand, bowed his head as goodbye.

"Who exactly was that?" Reifu asked for clarity. Alright, she was Nishikino Maki and as far as his knowledge was, she was the daughter of the famous Nishikino family who ran this hospital thus his respect towards her, even though one couldn't see much of it.

"Apparently, the girl I saved." The brown haired teen replied to his friend.

"How lucky are you?" Reifu asked. "Not only did you save a 'beautiful' girl." He said, air quoting the beautiful for emphasis. "But you also saved the heiress of this here hospital. A stitch to the head and a broken leg is such a small price to pay to talk to someone like her."

Shun rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, you're right."

"Not only that but she is also a part of the famous idol group of Otonokizaka, Muse." Reifu said before taking his phone out and then showing it to Shun. It was a performance of Muse, one that was in their school festival. "You should really look into these more."

"I didn't know you were into these kinds of stuff Rei." Shun joked before taking the phone and watching it.

"I'm not." The blue haired male replied. "It was sent to me by one of our friends at school."

Shun just nodded and then watched the video. "They're pretty good." He said.

"Nishikino-san's a school idol huh…" Shun muttered. His eyes glossed over the others girls and finding two of them… oddly and very familiar. "Ne, Rei, do you know these two?" He asked, pointing at the screen, his finger pointed at the orange haired girl and the brown haired girl.

Reifu looked at them and then back at Shun. "I do." He replied. "You should as well unless the car hit your head hard enough for you to not remember them." He said.

Shun just looked at his friend with a quizzical look before his eyes widened. "Oh!"

* * *

The next day had quickly come and soon, school was over once more. It went by too quickly for Maki's liking. She was never one to mingle with strangers and now, she had to teach Shun, someone she just met, after school. She wished to stay a little bit longer but Eri had stated that they should take a break for one day. The others didn't hesitate to agree as well.

Luck was definitely not on her side. And so she silently packed her bags and started to head out.

"Maki-chan~ Wait for us!" Rin exclaimed as she came running to the redhead with a seemingly struggling Hanayo by her side.

The redhead did stop to look at her two classmates. Rin and Hanayo caught up with the girl. "What?"

"We wanted to walk home with you Maki-chan." Rin stated. Hanayo nodded at this as well.

"I'm not going home. I'm going to visit that guy again." Maki replied. "He needed to catch up with yesterday's lessons which he couldn't understand."

"So you'll help him?" Hanayo asked.

"That's so sweet of you Maki-chan~" Rin said as she seized the redhead's arm for herself.

The redhead visibly blushed. "I-I had to repay him alright." She said before trying to break free from the cat girl's hold but when she knew she couldn't fight the strength of this athletic girl, she did the only thing she could think of. She raised her left hand and then brought it upon the cat girl's head.

Rin's hands immediately flew up to her head. "Ouch! That hurts Maki-chan!" She exclaimed, withdrawing from the redhead and going to her best friend instead with a small pout on her face.

"That's what you get for sticking to me without permission." The heiress said coldly.

Hanayo stifled a laugh and then offered something, "We'll accompany you then Maki-chan. Maybe I can help you teach him."

Maki smiled. "Thanks Hanayo. Although I don't think this one would be of any help." She said, sending a cold glare at Rin.

Rin just chuckled nervously. Well what Maki did say was true but she wasn't going to let that get her down. "But I can talk with him if he's bored and tired of studying!" She exclaimed.

The two bantered for a while while Hanayo watched from the sidelines, occasionally laughing at the two's antics until they finally arrived at the hospital. They entered the hospital and Maki was immediately greeted by the workers there and she greeted back.

Hanayo and Rin marveled at the hospital. They had never entered this place before mostly because they, or specifically Rin, were only sent to a small clinic for scratches and wounds. Rin amazingly did not break any bones when she was young even if she was very accident prone.

"Move, move!" A nurse ordered and the three stepped aside. A teen, about their age, was being wheeled in. He had blood red hair and was wearing the all too familiar dark blue blazer and slacks. Rin and Hanayo watched as the teen was wheeled in directly ER. Maki, on the other hand, seemed to be used to this and when her eyes met with the teen's closed ones, she simply sighed.

"Let's go." Maki said as she proceeded to walk where Shun's room was. She opened the door to reveal that the young brown haired male was already reading the notes, trying to make heads and tails of what was written on it.

He looked at the doorway. "Ah Nishikino-sa…" He stopped midway from what he was saying when his eyes fell upon Rin and Hanayo who entered after Maki. The two stared wide-eyed at him as well.

"No way…"

"So it was true…"

"R-Rin-chan… H-Hanayo-chan…"


	3. Chapter 3

Shun let out a small, nervous chuckle. They were right there. Those people who he almost forgot and remembered again, with a little help from Reifu of course. Rin and Hanayo were right in front of him with Maki. This was understandable since they were in the same idol group but he never expected their coming. He doesn't even know if they were alarmed of his stay there at the hospital.

"Shu-kun." Hanayo said as she walked to her friend. "No one told us that you were in the hospital, right Rin-chan?" She asked, looking over to her orange haired friend.

Rin just stared at Shun for a moment. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "You really are misfortune's servant ne, Shu-kun!" She exclaimed in her bubbly manner as she skipped towards the teen at the bed. "Ever since we were kids, you were always the one who always got the bad end of the stick."

"Yeah. Seems this time, it wasn't directly because of you Rin-chan." Shun said before looking at Maki. "But still related to you."

"Wait, you three know each other?" Maki asked, obviously confused about what was happening then and there.

Hanayo nodded. "Shu-kun is a childhood friend of ours. We were all in the same neighborhood when we were kids, went to the same elementary school."

"But then the apartment we were staying in closed so we had to relocate and we found ourselves in another neighborhood although not far enough for us to not see each other but we don't bump into each other a lot." Shun continued. "I went for Amagiri while these two went for Otonokizaka."

"And so we sometimes see each other near while we go to school!" Rin finished.

"That's basically it." Hanayo finalized. "Although no one really told us that Shu-kun was involved in an accident."

"That was my fault. I literally forgot for a moment who you two were." The brown haired teen said with a small chuckle. "But I didn't think my parents wouldn't contact you two. Rei knew about it too."

"You're really no fair Shu-kun." Rin said before raising her hand to give a playful bump to the head of Shun but was quickly stopped by the heiress of the hospital. "Nya~?"

"You can't hit him there... " Maki pointed out. "His head has been stitched after all."

"Thanks Nishikino-san." Shun said before attempting to sit down. "I really hate this cast though. I have to wear it for a few more days." He muttered as he slid his leg out where it was hanging and then resting it on the bed. He laughed victoriously. "Yes! Finally did it!"

Of course, he immediately blushed in embarrassment as he remembered there were other people inside. "U-Uh…" He quickly covered his face with his hand to hide the blush.

Hanayo giggled and Rin let out a laugh. "Shu-kun always gets embarrassed easily." The latter said through her laugh.

"S-Shut up!" Shun said before looking away from them and towards the window.

Honestly, even Maki couldn't stop a smile from breaking out. "Anyway, I came here to teach you right." The redhead proclaimed. "So let's start."

Shun looked back and nodded, the blush fading from his features. "What are they doing here anyway? They didn't come with you yesterday."

"Practice got cancelled so these two wanted to go with me." Maki replied with her arms crossed. "Not that I'm bothered Hanayo is here but Rin…"

"Is a tad bit too noisy?" Shun asked. "But even if she's like that, I'm sure Rin-chan won't cause any trouble. Ne, Rin-chan?" He asked as he looked at the orange haired girl who had made herself comfortable sitting on the bedside.

The cat girl smirked and then raised her hand in a salute. "Roger that nya~!" She replied. In exchange, the brown haired teen patted her head like a master would to a cat who obeyed her orders.

"Good girl." Shun said with a smile.

"Were they always like this?" The redhead asked as she picked up the notebook Shun placed by the desk earlier.

Hanayo nodded. "They were always close like this."

Maki looked like she was about to say something when the door opened, revealing the same taller male who had visited the day prior. He was holding yet another plastic bag.

"Reito~" Rin said as she waved at the blue haired male. "Long time no see!"

"Ah, Reifu-kun, good day to you." Hanayo smiled as she turned to him as well.

"Quite the party you have here Shun." Reifu said as he dropped off the bag at the side of the drawer and then stood near Maki. "Rin, Hanayo, good to see you two again." He then turned to the heiress of the hospital. "You as well Nishikino-san. Although I expected for only you to come, what with your school idol business."

"You knew?" Maki asked.

"I stumbled upon it while I searched for inspiration to draw." Reifu replied.

Maki turned to the other three to explain. "Ah, you see Rei is a mangaka. He often draws for the monthly magazines." Shun replied before rummaging through the contents of the bag that was given to him and got a thick book out. He then flipped through the pages and then stopped at a certain point and gave it to Maki. "He's the author for 'Is this Love?', a shoujo manga revolving around a teenage girl having struggles with her love life." He said.

"Although understanding a woman's heart has proved to be difficult at first, one would gradually get used to it." Reifu said. "But of course, different personalities yield different thoughts thus my limit to insecure high school girls."

" _Wait… is this really what a girl in love thinks like? Isn't it a bit too exaggerate?"_ The red haired girl thought as she skimmed through the manga. Once she reached the end of it, she closed it and handed it back to Shun. "Well it is certainly interesting."

"Buying it would be a great help." Reifu said.

"Mou~ Reito-kun, don't use these kinds of things to endorse your magazine." Rin pointed out.

"If you were wondering Maki-chan, Reito came from combining Reifu-kun's first and last name. The Rei from 'Reifu' and To from 'Sato'." Hanayo pointed out.

"It's the most unique nickname ever thought of for myself." Reifu said. "I allowed her to call me by it… but it is only limited to her and Hanayo if she ever wanted to use it."

"I'll stick with Sato then." Maki said. "Wait, don't tell me he is your childhood friend too."

Rin shook her head. "Nope! We only met Reito-kun two years ago. He attended the same school as Shu-kun here so we were bound to meet anyway!"

"And now it's your turn to be admitted in our little circle." Reifu said as he looked at Maki. "You are undoubtedly close friends of Rin and Hanayo."

"And a close friend of Rin and Hanayo is a close friend to us!" Shun exclaimed. Rin had rejoiced over the fact that her old friends had well accepted her new friend.

Maki sighed. "Yeah, that's good and all but wasn't there something else we were supposed to do?" The redhead asked.

"There was?" Rin asked as she looked at Maki dumbly.

The young redhead's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. With her arms crossed, she took a deep breath but before she could tell her off, Shun had stepped up. "Now, now Rin-chan, Nishikino-san was supposed to teach me remember? You told me that you won't cause any trouble."

"A-Ah! Right, right! Sorry." The cat girl said as she rubbed the back of her head and then jumped off the bed. "I-I'll get us some drinks nya~" She then hurried off. Reifu watched her go and he knew one thing. The blush on the orange haired girl was unmistakable.

"So, where do we start?" Shun asked, not knowing of his friend's unapparent internal warfare.

"Perhaps… from the start?" Reifu suggested. "It's not very hard so I assume you would get it pretty quickly Shun."

"That would be good then." Shun said before looking at Maki. "After this, can we please go out to eat? I mean, I'm all good see?" He said. "I'd need crutches but it'll be fine!"

Maki looked at him and shook her head. "No chance. Besides, we can always just eat tomorrow. You're getting released right? Besides, tomorrow is a Saturday."

Shun nodded. "Alright then!" He exclaimed. "Now let's get this started." He said as he opened the notebook.

Rin came back, cans upon cans of juice in her arms and tried knocking on the door with her foot. No way she could do it with her arms. The door opened to reveal the blue haired man who was standing guard earlier.

"Need help with that?" Reifu asked.

"Nah, I'm good nya~" Rin replied but before she could proceed any further, the male took two cans from her arms.

"I'll take my share then." He said before walking inside. He then examined the can of juice. Ah, the other one was for Hanayo. Good thing he managed to get his preferred juice by luck. "Here you go Hanayo."

The brown haired girl took the can from his hand and said, "Thank you." with a smile on her face as she opened the juice, same with Reifu.

"Here you go Maki-chan, Shu-kun~" Rin said as she hopped to their side and gave them their cans with a little difficulty.

"Thanks Rin." Maki said as she placed the notebook on her lap and took the can.

Shun only nodded at her as he grabbed the can and began gulping down the contents. "Not too thirsty I hope." Reifu said.

"Shu-kun, you might choke…" Hanayo said worriedly.

Although her worry wasn't needed as Shun stopped drinking and placed the can on the side of the bed with a smile on his face. "Ah~ That was good."

Maki then noticed that they all had different cans of juice, all with different flavors and brands. That's when it hit her. They knew each other since they were kids, or at least two years for Reifu, and that's how they knew their preferences. Rin had bought the ones that were their all time favorites and she even got hers right. Tomato juice was pretty delicious after all…

And that is when she also noticed that it was already dark outside. Had Rin really take that long or did she leave at sunset? And they should be heading home now. Shun was going to be released tomorrow she they'd all see each other again. She began to close the notebook and place it down. "I have to go now." She said as she stood up and picked her bag up. "It is pretty late after all."

"A-Ah... you're right." Shun said as he glanced at the clock mounted at the wall. It seemed like he was unhappy with how fast the time passed by. Although the reason why wasn't really clear. "Well I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"You can count on us for that Shu-kun~" Rin said with a mock salute. "We'll pick you up here and then go out. When are you going to get released?"

"Actually, he'll have to be released with his parents." Reifu pointed out. "I'll just pick him up at his house and then we'll meet up at the restaurant."

"Oh right, we'll just mail you the restaurant. It's pretty near after all." Rin said. "We'll meet you two then."

Shun nodded. "Sounds good. I think I'll be out tomorrow morning so I can go at lunch."

"Let's go then." Maki said as she was already at the door. The other three followed as Shun waved goodbye.

Soon enough, Rin and Hanayo broke off from the group to head to their houses leaving Reifu and Maki alone. "I never knew the Nishikino family lived in the same block." The blue haired boy mused.

"Making small talk Sato-kun?" Maki asked as she looked at her companion. "I never took you for the type to do that."

"I'm not what most people expect me to be." Reifu admitted. "Besides, I was going to go to another topic."

Maki raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "And that topic is?"

"Rin and Hanayo." Reifu replied. "I always wondered how they would act when they were around other girls. And the school idol business, I never through Hanayo could do any of that given her lack of self-confidence and Rin with her lack of… well confidence on her femininity." He said. "When I first found a video of them singing in costumes, I couldn't really believe it so I never told Shun but now… now I'm sure it was them."

Maki looked at the road in front of them. "Hanayo only needed a little push and support. Rin said that Hanayo always wanted to be an idol like her mother."

"That… is true." Reifu muttered, having heard of the topic before.

"As for Rin, well… she went along with Hanayo when they joined Muse and I followed soon enough." Maki replied. "They've been enjoying it too."

"That's good." Reifu said. "It's been… I think a month or two since we've all hung out with each other because of our busy schedules. It never bothered Shun too much because he could always just call them up to hang out."

"I can see that." Maki said. "Sato-kun… don't tell me you feel out of place in that group."

Reifu let out a small chuckle. "Feel out of place? Not really."

"You fade in the background when with them. How could you, of all people, get involved with a group like that?" Maki asked. It was true. He was silent, not as hyperactive as Rin and Shun but still was bold enough to not be like Hanayo. He wasn't even usually mentioned by Rin and Shun like they did with the brown haired girl.

"I met Shun when we were in middle school you see." Reifu replied. "He was too shy to socialize though so he often just stays alone at lunch. No one approached him either so he was on his own. When our class started changing seats, he ended up sitting beside me. He awkwardly started a conversation and I followed through. We became friends ever since. A few weeks later, I met Hanayo and Rin and then you see where I am now."

"I see." Maki said. "No other friends?"

"The whole class is a friend now… another friend of ours is the Student Council President. He really likes messing around despite being sick but then pushes through to make our school happier despite the rumors that float out and about." Reifu replied. "I'ms sure you are aware of that."

"Akai Gakuen right?" Maki asked. It roughly translates to the Red Academy in English. "A place where guys are thought inequality and general bad manners." The blue haired man nodded. "It all stemmed from one group of graduates right? I think right after graduation they immediately egged houses and bashed on a lot of students especially those in…"

"Otonokizaka." Reifu continued the thought. "It's good that we know Hanayo and Rin so they didn't believe that old rumor. I hated it. The school never taught us anything like that. In fact, they always told us to respect everyone around us. You know, help the citizens in trouble."

"But you can't because of society's sick image of you." Maki said. She then shook her head and sighed. "How long has that been? Five? Six years? And yet you're still being misunderstood."

"That's life I guess. President's doing something to make it better though." Reifu said. "Although he hasn't told anyone of his plants yet, not even Vice President knows about it."

"Really now…" Before the redhead could ask who the president was, Reifu had already stopped in front of an apartment complex.

"Well my house's right here. If you're curious, Shun lives here too since he wanted to live alone." Reifu said. "'Till tomorrow Nishikino-san." He said with a small bow of his head.

"See you tomorrow Sato-kun." Maki said, mimicking his farewell. The blue haired teen entered the gate and Maki proceeded forward. She learned a lot of things that day. From learning that Hanayo and Rin had another childhood friend to finding more about Amagiri Gakuen from a resident mangaka. It had been interesting, yes, but also definitely odd. When she went to Shun for the first time to thank him, she had never expected for it to escalate to this.

Not like Maki actually hated it. She was actually glad that all of that happened. She actually acquired new friends, new guy friends and she was happy for that… not like she'll ever admit it out loud though. That'd be too embarrassing right?

She opened the door to her house to see her parents already there. "Hello mama, papa." She said with a small bow.

Mrs. Nishikino smiled at her. "Welcome home dear. I hope that study session with Katanashi-kun went well."

Maki placed her bag at the sofa and sat down beside it. "It did with a little help from his friends."

"That's good." Mrs. Nishikino said.

"Maki." Mr. Nishikino started and the redhead looked at her father, body rigid and attention unwavering. "About Kei…"

* * *

 **A/N: And there's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy the reveal that they were all childhood friends after all.**

 **Jiulong Tang: There are other stories with male OCs out there but I'm happy that you found this story interesting.**

 **Cheezus: Well there's the story about how Shun knows Rinpana. Thanks and here's the next chapter.**

 **Rena Bodewig: I swear, it's like you're in my head Rena... Oh and about the other story, I have a little something in store for you guys so I'm kind of working on it.**

 **Guest N: The love will blossom... eventually... or will it?**


	4. Chapter 4

Shun was finally out of the hospital. His parents had already picked him up and after giving him orders to be more careful, they left him at his apartment. They originally wanted him to come home since he was in crutches but he insisted that he will be fine. He did, after all, know how to walk on crutches after demonstrating it to some kids at an orphanage to earn a small laugh with his failures. It was part of a dare but it turned out to be quite alright and the kids enjoyed him trying multiple times, failing but then succeeding in the end.

He was given good breakfast so he just decided to study for a few hours before the designated lunch time. Suddenly his phone rang. He quickly picked it up.

"Yo." Shun greeted as he lied back down on his bed with his cellphone pressed to his ear.

 _"Shun, it's Rei. Can you guys go ahead to the restaurant? I have something to do. I'm currently outside."_ Reifu said from the other side. Indeed, it did seem like he was outside since he could hear the buzz of the people in the background.

"Ah, sure. I'll mail you where it is then." The brown haired boy said. "Care to share what you're going to do?"

 _"Huh? Oh sorry man, I gotta go_." Reifu said before hanging up abruptly.

Shun just nervously chuckled to himself as he placed his phone back on the table before bringing up the notebook in front of his face again. He already understood most of it thanks to a certain redhead's help. But that doesn't mean he understood everything. There were some problems he didn't get how to solve even if Maki had gone over it twice. He just had to agree at the end to avoid further embarrassing himself.

He groaned before tossing the notebook to the table after minutes of staring at it. He never was good at Math without someone teaching it to him. Maki's teaching method was alright but his teacher was the best at it since he understood every word.

And after a minute or two, he finally got bored. He stood up from his position, took his crutches and began putting some clothes on. Might as well take a walk around right? Then he can just go ahead and meet with the others.

* * *

Well, that was uneventful. He was now sitting on a bench near his apartment complex. He did walk around and nothing happened. He didn't even see a single neighbor outside or a fellow student of Amagiri.

He took his phone out of his pocket and called Hanayo. The latter picked up fairly soon. "Hanayo-chan…" He whined.

 _"Shu-kun? What's the matter?"_ The brown haired girl on the other side asked.

"I'm bored…" Shun replied. "It's still an hour before we're supposed to meet up and I don't have anything to do. Can I play at your place?"

 _"Sure. I guess you can."_ Hanayo said. It had been a while since the guy actually visited her place to play games. "I'll see you then."

"Thank you Hanayo-chan~!" Shun exclaimed before closing his phone. Finally, something to do. He stood up and started walking to Hanayo's house. Although he did take a long time since he was on crutches. He may know how to properly use it but that doesn't mean he's good at it.

* * *

He had arrived pretty soon. He stepped inside the house. "Pardon the intrusion." He said out loud but he knew that only Hanayo would be here. It has always been like that since her parents were usually busy. He followed Hanayo to her room and sat down on her bed. "It's been too long since I've been here Hanayo-chan!" He exclaimed.

Hanayo smiled at him before placing a tray with two cups of tea on the table. She then took one and gave it to her brown haired friend. "It's been a year hasn't it? Ever since we started high school, we never invited each other to our houses."

Shun nodded a 'thank you' as he accepted the cup. "I think it's because we were busy. Well, you guys more than us." He then took a sip. Hanayo picked up a controller for him and herself as she turned on the console. Shun took the controller being offered to him. "How did you guys become school idols? I mean, I know you really like singing and all but I never thought you guys would actually make it happen."

"It's because Otonokizaka is going to close down if it doesn't garner new students." Hanayo replied.

"Seriously?" Shun asked. He smiled. "I remember reading it at the school records when I visited the Student Council, Amagiri went through the same thing thanks to it's reputation. Good thing it was funded by another family because they owed the owner a favor."

"Wow, that's really lucky." Hanayo said.

Shun nodded. "Yeah. The son is currently the Student Council President. That's how they manage money so well nowadays."

"If only we had that kind of person." Hanayo said. "But I'm kind of thankful this happened, it gave us the chance to become school idols and meet one another."

"It was a blessing in disguise." Shun said with a smile. They turned to the game console. It was an RPG game made to have two players. An adventure game to be exact. "It's been a long time since I played this."

"A new game then? There's a tutorial there." Hanayo asked.

"Alright then." The brown haired male said. "Anyway, is it fun being a school idol?"

Hanayo nodded. "It is! It's fun to sing and dance and perform in front of everyone."

"Really now?" Shun asked. "I'd be embarrassed out of my mind if I had to do any of that school idol stuff. I'm glad boy school idols are mainstream for only girls." He said with a light chuckle. After all, there would be a high possibility that Amagiri would begin recruiting and he might get involved thanks to a certain friend of his.

"If I could do it Shu-kun, you probably can as well." The brown haired girl replied. They fell into a comfortable silence with only the sounds coming from the game filling the room. It was probably after thirty minutes when Hanayo's phone rang. They had gotten through so much levels quicker than any normal person could. Experience really is a good teacher.

 _"Kayo-chin~ Are you ready? I'm heading over there right now._ " Rin said as Hanayo picked up the phone.

"I'm all set Rin-chan." Hanayo replied with a smile. "I'll be waiting then." She then hung up and then closed the console.

"But we were so close to getting to the boss!" Shun said, obviously in disapproval of stopping.

"We'll continue once you go back to my house." Hanayo said. "Anyway, let's go wait in the living room. Rin-chan won't take long."

"I know. Her house is just at the end of the block." Shun said as he placed the controller back in its place and then standing up before heading downstairs. "Ne, Hanayo-chan…"

"Yes?" Hanayo asked as she walked just behind him.

"Can we do this again? Next week Saturday? I really missed playing games with you." Shun said, eyes staring in front of him. It felt kind of weird these days. It was probably because they were older now and not kids.

The brown haired girl was bewildered on why he was acting like that but continued to smile. "Of course you can Shu-kun. Just tell me when you're going to come so I can prepare the games we'll play."

"Thanks Hanayo-chan~" Shun said before they arrived at the living room and just sat there until Rin would come.

The doorbell rang soon after and the two immediately went to the door to answer it. "Hey Kay-chin! And… what? Shu-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I kinda went here earlier since I was really bored." Shun said.

"Ah, is that so? Well then, let's go nya~" Rin said as she turned around and led the way to the restaurant. Shun followed close behind while Hanayo lagged behind the two carrying a worried face.

'Rin-chan… I'm sorry.' Hanayo thought as she followed the two. She should've called her when Shun said he was going to her house. She forgot all about it at that time. It was probably the excitement of having her childhood friend stay over once more that she forgot about the slightly complicated circumstances between them all.

"Ah Hanayo, Rin, Katanashi-kun." Maki greeted when they turned to an intersection.

"Maki-chan~" Rin began to pounce on the redhead who simply stepped to the side to avoid her. The cat girl managed to get her footing before her face met the pavement.

"Sato-kun… where is he?" Maki asked after she looked at the group.

"He said that he would catch up. I'll just mail him the address." Shun said as he leaned on his crutch. "Uh… can we guys hurry up? Standing with crutches isn't the most comfortable thing I've felt…"

"Let's go then!" Rin exclaimed as she once more took the lead to the restaurant.

* * *

"This place has some really delicious ramen~" Rin praised as she ate her share of the ramen.

Shun looked around. It really looked like a refined restaurant but even so, they had some pretty cheap things. He ordered curry for himself which was delicious in its own way. As for the others, they ordered something he couldn't actually identify. It was part of some secret menu and he had no idea what they just said. "Do you guys visit this place often?"

"We do." Hanayo replied. "We usually go here after school. That's how we know a lot of things about this place."

"Maki-chan treated us here one day. It was really expensive!" Rin exclaimed. "But then Old Man Yoshikazu gave us another menu which had much cheaper prices in it!"

"Rin-chan, don't be so loud about it." Hanayo said. "Old Man Yoshikazu doesn't want other customers to know about it remember?"

"My bad." Rin said with an embarrassed smile.

"Ah…" Shun looked outside to see the blue haired teen waiting at the street across of them. "Rei." He said as he waved at him.

Reifu waved back, proving that he could see them. He looked up and then proceeded to walk through the pedestrian lane.

Shun's eyes widened as he saw the speeding truck heading for his friend. It seems the other was paying attention as well as they called out his name. The events just a few days ago flashed in his mind and he quickly left the building, hobbling since he forgot to take his crutch.

The sound of the truck skidding to a stop filled the quiet noon. Bystanders stared in shock at the scene. The driver immediately exited his vehicle to look for Reifu…

But no one was there. Not even a trace of blood was there which was really odd. There wasn't even a body there. They looked around, bewildered. Hanayo had helped Shun stand up straight while Rin and Maki looked around.

Shun and Hanayo walked to where Reifu was and it revealed an open manhole. In two seconds, something came up and landed on the street.

"Uh… Rei?" Shun looked at him, shocked.

"Yo." Reifu replied. He then stood up and dusted himself off before looking at the others, an eyebrow raised at their expressions. "What's up?"

"You nearly gave me a heart attack kid!" The driver of the truck said with his hand over his chest. "I thought I ran over you a moment there…"

"Ah… I fell into that manhole before you could do so." Reifu said in a calm voice as he pointed at the open manhole. "The cover fell off as I walked on top of it. Good thing I was able to grab the ladder before I could fall and make my clothes stinky."

"If you're alright then I have to go." The driver said before climbing into the vehicle and speeding off.

"He was in the wrong though." Reifu said as he looked at the stoplight. "It was red and he was still going for it."

"Ah well, it's good that you're alright Rei." Shun said with a smile.

"You made us worry Reito~" Rin whined as she tried to put on an angry face but failed miserably.

"Sorry. Now, we were going to eat right?" Reifu asked before turning around to head for the restaurant.

Hanayo lightly giggled. "That's definitely Reifu-kun…" She said and Shun could only silently agree. They all headed back to the restaurant. Reifu had taken one look at the menu and immediately ordered tempura with rice on the side.

"So what were you doing earlier Rei? On a date?" He asked, nudging his best friend with a smile.

"My sister arrived this morning and I had to take her to our family's home so I was pretty busy." Reifu replied.

"Your family lives in Kyoto right? You went all the way there by train?" Shun asked. "It's a miracle you got here…"

"We used the Shinkansen to get there so it was fast." Reifu said. "Good thing my sister has some spare change…"

"Spare change? You have to be kidding me, that's a lot of money…" Shun pointed out.

"Ne, Reito… What's your sister like?" Rin asked, possibly for the sake of a conversation since Shun went back to his food.

"She's a famous game designer." Reifu replied as if that would suffice but as he examined the others, it seemed it wasn't. "Her name is Runa. She is smart when it comes to games, most likely has beaten most of the games in the world."

"You could say she's the exact opposite of Rei." Shun said. Then everyone's attention was on him. "I met her in a gaming convention before. She was really cheerful and happy with her work. She even taught me some tips to become better at playing games."

"She's that famous?" Rin asked, tilting her head to the side.

"She is." The blue haired teen said before taking a bite of his tempura.

"Being famous runs in their family blood." Shun pointed out. "His father is a writer, his mother is an artist, his sister is a game designer and Rei is a manga artist."

"I find nothing impressive about it. We just want to chase down our ambitions." Reifu said.

"And they all live alone. Never together." Shun finalized, ignoring what Reifu said. "I guess the family home is just a place where one would stay if they came back from overseas?"

"It's amazing how you know so much about my family." The blue haired teen said.

"That's what happens if you Runa-san." Shun said. "She kept on talking about her family."

"Wait, how did you manage to single her out in a convention?"

"Easy, I asked her if I could talk to her and she took me backstage to talk." Shun replied.

"Sounds just like her then." Reifu said before going back to his food.

"It's great that you work hard as a mangaka Sato-kun." Maki complimented. "I've read some of your works and they seem to be a big hit."

Rin nodded. "Reito really makes good shoujo manga! It really makes Rin's heart skip a beat when I'm reading it!"

"That's the kind of reaction I want to get from my readers." The blue haired teen said.

"Reifu-kun does shounen manga as well." Hanayo pointed out. "Although he hasn't published any as of now…"

"Wait when did this conversation turn to me again?" Reifu asked.

"It was always on you Rei." Shun pointed out. "Anyway, how are your studies coming along?" He asked both Rin and Hanayo but it was more directed to the former. Hanayo was good at studying after all.

"I'm trying my best~" Rin replied.

"I feel like it isn't." Maki said as she looked at Rin. "I think you can pass all your exams if you work hard enough. Especially Math."

"But Math is hard~" Rin whined as she looked at Maki with a mock pout.

"Then you just have to work harder." Maki pointed out. Before Rin could even reply, Maki's phone rang. She opened a message and sighed. "Well I have to go. Papa needs me for something. See you." She said before standing up and leaving.

"Bye-bye Maki-chan!" Rin exclaimed with a wave. Hanayo waved goodbye as well.

"Take care on your way home." Shun said.

"Don't jinx her Shu-kun!" Rin scolded.

"Sorry, sorry." The brown haired teen said as he rubbed the back of his head. After at least half an hour of talking, they all decided to leave. They still, after all, needed to finish their homework and such.

"Hm?" Reifu stopped as he observed the table before picking up a handkerchief. "This yours?" He asked the two girls present who just shook their heads.

"It's probably Maki-chan's." Hanayo pointed out.

"I'll give it to her." Shun offered as he took the handkerchief. "See you three later." He said as he jogged out of the restaurant.

"Oi! Do you even know where she lives?" Reifu asked as the three ran outside.

"The mansion-like house near our apartment complex right? I got it!" Shun replied before slowing down to a walk to head towards the Nishikino household. "Oh yeah, Rei! Make sure my door is locked! I forgot to check it when I went out."

"Alright." Reifu replied as he watched Shun walk to the direction of Maki's house. "But you do realize that her house is in the way of our apartment right?"

"I'll take a shorter route there." Shun replied as he stopped to look around. "Don't worry, I'll be there in a jiffy."

Reifu sighed and then turned back to the other two who were there. "I'll walk you to your homes then."

"Reito's a gentleman!" Rin exclaimed before starting to walk. The orange haired girl took the lead once more with Hanayo by her side and Reifu at the back.

* * *

"Ah here we go." Shun said as he stood in front of the Nishikino household. "They're really rich…" He muttered to himself before pushing the doorbell. He stood there uncomfortably, unable to put all the weight on his other leg… or well on the crutch as he was afraid he would fall.

The door opened to reveal the older female Nishikino. "Hm? And who might you be?" She asked as she curiously examined the boy. "Oh wait, don't tell me… Katanashi Shun-kun right?"

Shun nodded. "How did you know?"

"Of course I read the records of the man who saved my daughter." Mrs. Nishikino said with a kind smile. "Now is there something you need?"

Shun began digging through his pockets and took out Maki's handkerchief. "She left this at the restaurant we went to earlier."

"Oh? Already making moves on my Maki-chan?" Mrs. Nishikino teased.

"W-What?" Shun's face was bright red. "No, no, no, we were with friends. Y-You know Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan and she just left this there I'm not making anything!" He said it very quickly, stuttering every now and then.

Mrs. Nishikino giggled. "I'm just joking with you Katanashi-kun." She said before gesturing for him to get in. "Maki's in her room. Second room to the left once you get upstairs."

Shun's face went back to its original color. "Thank you." He said as he got in. He stopped as he first stepped in as he took in the surroundings. From there, the place was as big as he thought it was. Paintings adorned the walls. The hallway led straight to the stairs while it branched off in the middle. The left to the kitchen and the right to the living room.

"What are you waiting for?" Mrs. Nishikino asked as she walked past him.

Shun nodded as he continued forward. Mrs. Nishikino headed for the living room though so he walked on alone. To say that he was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the house is an understatement. His family home paled in comparison to this and his current home isn't even in the comparison scale. But the brown haired teen still continued forward.

As he took the last step up the stairs, he could hear faint voices from Maki's room.

"I thought I told you to be more careful." It might be faint but Shun couldn't mistake that voice for any other, it was Maki's.

"But I was." Another voice piped up. This one was male. "I was just doing the paperworks when I had a heart flutter. Besides, it wasn't a heart attack! I passed out because of my lack of sleep and when I woke up I was in a hospital!"

Shun stopped inches from the door. Heart flutter? Heart attack? Hospital? Who was Maki talking to. From the sound of his voice, he was a teen as well but why was he talking like he was some older person at risk of a heart attack?

"That's because you have a serious condition." Maki replied but never raised her tone. "Who could've known if you just passed out from lack of sleep or from a heart attack?"

"Eh, good point. Well at least it wasn't a heart attack." The male said.

Now that the conversation was over, Shun gathered up the courage to knock. "Come in." Maki said and Shun opened the door.

There sitting on the bed was an all familiar face. He had red hair and matching red eyes. He wasn't wearing his school outfit but his face was enough for Shun to recognize.

"P-President?" Shun stuttered out.

"Ah, Shun. Nice to see you again." The red haired male said with a wave and a smile on his face.

Maki looked at the red haired male then back at Shun. "Ah so you two know each other Kei?" She asked, looking back at the former.

"He is an Amagiri student Maki-chan." Kei pointed out. "And the blue color of his voice and that hamburger taste isn't too hard to remember you know?"

"Eh?" Shun has close to no idea what Kei was talking about. Hamburger taste? Blue color? Does this day have anything else to offer that would amaze or bewilder him? And besides, why was their student council president right there? This… was a confusing day. That he could say with his utmost confidence.

* * *

 **A/N: How'd you guys like that little stunt I pulled out with Reifu? Unexpected? Funny? Depressing?**

 **Rena Bodewig: Yup, and there's Kei in the flesh. Oh don't worry, this is a normal enough story so nothing of the sorts will happen to him. Well if you're in my head then you would know what would happen right?**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: Thanks a lot. Appreciate the compliment.**

 **Makironiandcheese: Maybe Rin does or maybe she doesn't? Somewhere in between perhaps? And no Kei hasn't been mentioned in the story prior to this and yes Kei is the one who died in my previous story along with every other OC.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Kei, you're confusing him." Maki scolded with her arms crossed. "You do realize that he has no idea what you're talking about right?"

"Of course I am." Kei replied with a shrug and then looked back at Shun. "How much did you hear? I'll be glad to explain anything that confuses you about the matter."

"From the heart flutter." Shun replied, curious about his friend's condition. Everything he heard confused him so he wanted to know. He even forgot why he was there in the first place but that could wait until later.

"Eavesdropping are we?" The red haired male asked with a smile. "No matter, I can tell you everything about that but it would take too long and would be too boring. I have a disease called cardiac arrhythmia. Basically, my heart isn't normal, it has an irregular beat to it. Now it becomes dangerous if I go on events that would make me tired. It could lead to what we call a 'heart flutter' which is close to a heart attack but isn't exactly fatal. It could also lead to a 'heart attack' which would land me in the hospital or my grave." The way he said it was so calm as if he wasn't afraid of it. "And as for the color and flavor, that was my synesthesia speaking. I can see sound as colors and people as different tastes. Maki-chan here is red and tastes like ice cream."

"That's not a flavor." Maki pointed out.

"But that's the best way I can describe your flavor." Kei replied.

Shun had already sat down as Kei explained his condition. "So that means you might die anytime President?"

"Yup." Kei replied with a nod and a smile. "It's alright though. I'm not putting myself in any danger that I'm aware of so I think I'll be fine and live 'till I'm 20 at least."

"How can you take it so well?" Shun asked curiously. If he knew his life was in danger at all times, he might've broken down already.

Kei smiled at him. "If you've known about it ever since you were a kid, you just get used to it."

"He experienced a heart attack when he was five years old while playing in a local park." Maki explained.

"That's so young…" Shun muttered.

"Sickness waits for no one." Kei said. "That's what my parents always say. It may not look like it when we're practically running the whole school but my family is very prone to sickness as sad as that may sound." He continued with a shrug. "Well anyway, I'm sure you came here to do something and not to listen to my conditions."

"Oh right." Shun handed the handkerchief to Maki. "You left that back at the restaurant."

Maki took the handkerchief. "Thank you… though you could've let Rin or Hanayo take it here especially in your condition." She said, pertaining to the broken leg.

"It's no problem really. My house is just down the street." Shun said.

"Sato-kun isn't with you?" Maki asked. "You live in the same apartment right?"

Shun shook his head. "I offered to take this to you. Rei just came back from Kyoto remember? Might as well let him rest."

"I see." Maki said.

Kei looked at Shun then at Maki then he stood up. "Well, well, seems I need to get going." He said as he looked at his watch. "I got some paperwork to do, pills to drink and shows to watch. Well then, goodbye!" He said with a dramatic flare before leaving.

As Kei left, Shun looked back at Maki with a curious glint in his eyes. "How'd you get to know the President?"

"He was my friend ever since I was young. We met at the hospital when he got his first heart attack." Maki replied.

"That must've been quite a meeting huh?" Shun said.

Maki nodded. "It was. I was shocked when I saw someone so young in the hospital and even more so when my father mentioned he had a heart attack."

"I'm actually quite impressed with the President." Shun admitted. "He's still as lively as that despite having a sickness as deadly as cardiac arrhythmia."

"I have no idea how he got that cheerful. Back then, he was so cynical and unbelieving of anything. He also lost hope… he would always just look outside the window, not speaking or moving. He was taken to therapists but never talked to them. He just… stared." Maki said, recounting the stories she had heard when she was young before she met with this person.

"Wow…" The brown haired male muttered. "I can't believe that…"

"If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have either." Maki agreed.

Shun nodded before standing up. "Well I have to go as well. It's been nice talking to you Nishikino-san." He said with a smile before leaving.

"Take care on your way home." Maki said as the male left.

* * *

If one thought that it was rest time after the lunch, that person would be wrong. The three still had to meet with the rest of Muse for practice. They can't neglect their practice because of some mutual friend after all. Their practice place was in the usual place, the shrine grounds.

Well, all was well and good for Maki. She had told the others in advance that she will be late since she had something to do in the hospital, but actually it was just scolding Kei but it was still a job for the hospital since her father assigned him to her.

Not the same could be said for Rin, who had arrived late. Hanayo had gone ahead of the cat-like girl since the latter had given her permission to do so.

And now Rin was subjected to be under Umi's supervision for the entirety of the practice but unlike the others, the two was on another training regiment. Rin had to follow whatever the blue haired demon, at that time since she was furious with Rin's tardiness, tells her to do and it isn't easy.

"Umi's not sparing anything today huh?" Eri sighed. She and the other girls had taken a break and were enjoying the shade given by the trees and the shrine itself.

"Doesn't look like it." Kotori replied.

Nozomi looked at Maki who had stayed silent for the most part of the practice. "Maki-chan~" She called out before attempting to grab her chest to snap the redhead out of it. "What's got you all quiet and out there? Is it the guy who saved you or is it something else?"

Maki had been subjected to the famous washi washi attack that Nozomi had created in her life. The girl of course blushed and tried to wriggle her way out but the violet haired girl's grip was strong. "N-Nozomi! Let go!" She exclaimed.

Nozomi grinned. "Not before you tell me what's bothering you~"

"I-It's nothing." The redhead pretty much shouted her answer out before the byzantium haired girl let go of her. Maki's face was still bright red and she was panting slightly.

"Really?" Nozomi asked. She knew that the other girls were also listening in and Maki might be uncomfortable because of that but it wasn't really a big problem for the shrine maiden. The redhead always had seemed distant from them.

"Really." Maki replied after she caught her breath. "Just a little problem with a patient of mine. He'll be fine though." She finally admitted.

"Do you mean Shu-kun?" Hanayo asked from the sidelines.

Maki shook her head. "No, not him. He's perfectly fine from what I know."

"Who's Shu-kun?" Honoka asked, out of pure curiosity.

"He's the person who took the hit for me." Maki replied. "Apparently, he's also childhood friends with Hanayo and Rin."

"Is that so?" The ginger haired girl looked at the other girl. "So what's he like?"

"He's a little shy but he's strong willed and won't back down from a fight if he knows he is on the right side." Hanayo said, speaking fondly of her friend. "When we were kids, he was always the first one to say something against Rin-chan's outrageous plans."

"Sounds like he's a pretty responsible guy." Nico said. "So, where is he studying?"

"Amagiri Gakuen." The brown haired girl replied. "Although we never actually got together like we did earlier so we never could talk to him for the past few months."

"Amagiri?" Eri repeated. "I see. You might probably see more of him again some time." She said with a smile, as if trying to reassure that they will be able to meet with their childhood friend for times to come.

"So when will we meet this Shu?" Nozomi asked as she looked at the two girls who had already met him. "I hope you guys actually had plans for us to get to know them. After all, we have to give him our gratitude since he did save Maki-chan." She pointed out.

"Maybe we can talk to Shu-kun so you guys would get to know each other. You can also meet Reifu-kun, another friend of ours." Hanayo replied. "I'm sure they won't mind."

"So what are you girls talking about here?" Umi asked as she approached the group with a very tired Rin trailing behind her. The latter looked like she was ready to collapse.

"Meeting with Katanashi-kun and Sato-kun. They're friends of Rin and Hanayo." Maki replied as she looked at the blue haired girl's way.

"Shu-kun and Reito?" Rin asked as she sat down in the shade of the tree. "I can call them up now to ask if they're free… say, tomorrow nya~?"

"So soon after hanging with us?" Maki asked, her eyebrow raised. "Wouldn't that disrupt their schedule too much?"

"Reifu-kun told us that they're not that busy this week." Hanayo replied. "I think it'd be fine to tell them if we could meet tomorrow."

"Actually, I won't be available tomorrow." Eri said, as she remembered something. "I have some business tomorrow but you guys can still meet them. Just tell me about them next time."

"Eh? Business, what kind of business Eri-chan?" Honoka asked as she turned her attention to the blonde.

The blonde contemplated for the answer for a while before raising her index finger and a smile graced her face. "It's a secret."

"Mou~ Eri-chan, that's not fair!" Honoka said, a pout forming on her face.

All the while, Hanayo had taken out her phone to dial Reifu and Shun. They soon picked up.

 _"Hey Hanayo-chan~_ " Shun said. " _What's up?_ "

"Shu-kun, Reifu-kun, the other members of Muse wanted to meet you too. Do you mind if we get together tomorrow again?" Hanayo asked meekly.

" _Sure, I'm free tomorrow! I'll be glad to meet your other friends_." Shun said, a smile on his face as he talked through the phone.

" _There's no problem in that. I would like to meet those who actually got you to become a school idol anyway_." Reifu said. Besides, it would work to his favor. By meeting other people, he would have more reference for his manga. _"Place and time?"_

"Ah, wait a minute." Hanayo said before looking at the others. "What would be a good time and place for you guys?"

"I'm free whenever nya~" Rin responded.

"How about at 10 a.m. and meet up here at the shrine?" Nozomi suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Maki said with a nod.

"About the time and place…" Hanayo said as she once got back to the phone to talk with the other two.

" _10 a.m. at the local shrine right? Got it._ " Shun said. _"I feel excited just thinking about it."_

" _Not only are we going to meet Hanayo, Rin and Nishikino-san's friends, but we're going to meet a rising school idol group too. We should consider ourselves lucky Shun._ " Reifu pointed out.

" _Yeah. Well, see you tomorrow then Hanayo-chan_." Shun then hung up and was soon followed by Reifu.

"Now that that's out of the way, shall we continue our practice?" Eri asked as she looked at the girls.

"Yeah!"

* * *

" _Oh? Your friends are meeting with someone tomorrow? Why don't we reschedule so you can go with them."_

Eri was sitting on her chair with her phone pressed against her ear. "Oh, no worries. I already told them that I was busy."

 _"You sure? I know our meeting is important but that doesn't mean we can't move it to another date."_

"Didn't you say it yourself before? Our time is ticking… or well, my time at least. I'm not going to be the Student Council President forever you know so before that, we have to get this approved on paper." Eri replied. It was nice that the other person was thinking of her social life but this was something more important. If they could pull this off…

 _"Fine, fine. If you insist then I suppose it would be alright. You're really stubborn when it comes to this thing huh Eri-senpai?"_

"Says the person who kept on calling me for this plan." Eri said with a light giggle.

 _"Touche… Well anyway, since that's out of the way, I should probably go now. It's late at night after all."_

Eri glanced at the clock. It was already past 10. "Oh you're right. Well good night."

 _"Yeah. Good night."_

And with that, Eri hung up and placed her phone on the table. Other than that, there was a pile of paper there. She smiled at it before going to bed.

"I wonder what they're going to say once they find out what I've been doing." The Russian muttered to herself before falling asleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Whew, took longer than I originally thought it would. Seems I'm getting busier, sorry about that.**

 **Makironiandcheese: Reviving Kei also made me a little happy. He is interesting to write about. Well, it's more interesting now that he's sick.**

 **Jason902: Well I hope you still enjoy reading it even if you know the flow.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: Well, he is certainly weird... and as far as the story is going, he isn't related to her. Just a little friendship.**

 **Rena Bodewig: Yep, she's a gamer. You may or may not meet her in later chapters. As for Kei, yep he has a heart disease... and a sickness in the brain. Wow, you're luck can rival Nozomi-dono's then. That's actually quite amazing.**

 **Hanoommaly: Thanks, I really appreciate the compliment. Maybe it has something to do with me having a reference but that's just me. I hope you continue to read and enjoy my story.**

 **Lol: Hm... who knows? Maybe he's there as a rival, as a comic relief or as a random side character. Well thanks for reading anyway.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Rei, I'm actually getting nervous." Shun said as he and Reifu walked side by side towards the shrine. They actually aimed to be earlier than the designated time. Shun didn't want to keep them waiting after all. That would actually be embarrassing on their part.

"Getting nervous from meeting other people?" Reifu asked. "That's not like you Shun."

"What are you talking about?" The brown haired boy asked. "Remember I first transferred? I didn't even talk with anyone."

"Oh right. Now, how did that go again…"

* * *

 _It was another normal day in Amagiri Gakuen. It actually had a middle school and a high school so it worked to most people's favors. Shun was at the window seat, eating his lunch all by himself. He never did got to make friends with anyone in his class. He was so used to Rin introducing him to people that he forgot how to actually make them without any help from others. He didn't mind it all that much though but then again, he was going to be here until high school so he should at least make one right?_

 _As he silently ate his lunch, a blue haired boy watched him eat. Balls of sweat formed in his face as he stared at the lunch he was eating. Egg rolls, one of his all time favorite food. The boy only ate a sandwich and that was not enough to distract him from actually wanting the egg roll. But he couldn't just ask for it out of the blue right? I mean, he doesn't even know the other person._

 _Shun looked to the side to his his seat mate, Reifu, staring at his food rather intently. At first, he didn't know what to think of it. Did he want to eat? Or is there something else? "U-Um... " He took his lunch and offered it to him. "Do you want some? I can't exactly finish this all by myself." The brown haired boy said rather shyly._

 _"Really?" Reifu looked at him with expectations in his eyes. "Don't mind if I do then." He said picking an egg roll up and eating it. "Sato Reifu, nice to meet you." The blue haired boy said, feeling the need to formally introduce himself again._

 _"Katanashi Shun. Pleasure to meet you as well." The brown haired boy said with a smile. And that was how it all started between the two._

* * *

"Oh right." Reifu said as they recounted their memories of their first meeting. It wasn't normal but hey, that's life. They reached the local shrine and they immediately headed to pray. It was a normal thing to do. It was actually a plus to have this meeting here because they always came here to pray every Sunday.

Reifu then gave Shun his phone. "Watch one of their lives." He said as they both sat down at the bench. "They're not half bad although they didn't get on the last Love Live. I think it has something to do with one of the members passing out or something."

Shun watched, this time not just looking at Rin and Hanayo but listening as well. It was quite amazing really, how far they've gone. When they were all kids, being an idol was just the pipe dream of Hanayo but now they actually made it reality… and they're shining so brightly. He could tell that they were doing their best and he was happy for them. "Amazing." He muttered to himself. He couldn't find any words to properly describe it so he settled for that.

"Thank you." A voice behind them said causing the brown haired male to jump in surprise. He turned around to see the same violet haired girl he saw in the video. "Nice to meet you. I'm Toujou Nozomi." She was still in her shrine maiden outfit. They were pretty early after all. "Are you two Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan's friends?"

"Y-Yes we are." Shun replied nervously. "I'm Katanashi Shun." He said with a deep bow. There was a nervous air around him. Understandable since he's a little shy and, despite being quick friends with everyone in his class, finds it a little hard to introduce himself.

Reifu stood up from the bench, having not been surprised by the shrine maiden suddenly speaking, and turned to her. "Sato Reifu, nice to meet you." He said. Unlike Shun, it was either he was used to it or just didn't give a care in the world about introductions. He said his piece in a monotonous voice and ended it with a small bow.

"You two are very early. It's still an hour before our designated meeting time." Nozomi said, hands behind her back as she talked to them.

"We frequent this shrine every Sunday you see…" Shun said, not revealing his true reasons on why they were early.

The violet haired shrine maiden giggled but shook her head. "I know you two go here every Sunday. I always see you." She informed them. She is one of the shrine maidens and she comes here very early during Sundays since there's no actual training on that day. "But you never come this early. Your earliest is probably 10 a.m."

"Now that I think about it, you do look familiar." Reifu said as he thought about his previous encounters with the shrine maidens of in the area. "Ah, you were the one who I gave that video camera to… that was my family's Christmas present correct?"

"Ah so you're the one who came here one Christmas Eve carrying a present. The son of the Sato family who was a frequent visitor to the shrine here." Nozomi said. "But yes, I was the one who accepted the video camera and I have put it to good use for all these years."

"That is good. And what of the others?" Reifu asked, wondering what kind of present the others received. Sure, he was the one who gave one present but the Sato gave several on that day, different people of the Sato family carrying each present to give out.

"They received a variety of other presents but I can easily say that everyone got a present." Nozomi replied. "Will you conduct one again this Christmas?"

Reifu shrugged. "Father has never mentioned anything about it."

"Then why not conduct your own present giving?" Shun suggested. The brown haired male had just been listening and thought that his two cents might be useful.

"I may have a steady income from my manga but I cannot provide gifts for everyone Shun. Although if there are a lot of people who would be interested in doing so would talk to me, then maybe we can arrange something. But it's going to be costly so most don't actually want to." Reifu replied. "One shrine maiden can't get special treatment."

"Oh I see." The brown haired male said. "Did you guys use your own money to buy?"

Reifu nodded. "Since our family is actually full of people who have good paying jobs at a young age, we have to buy actual expensive gifts to give to the shrine maidens. Then offer a bigger gift to the Goddess who stays here." He replied. "Failure to give gifts when the head has stated means that you are not getting paid well and must find another hobby."

"Oh my, that sounds strict." Nozomi said. "But it gives your family the thrill of giving and finding that you were successful correct?"

The blue haired teen nodded. "I do not know how you know but that is exactly the case." He said.

"Anyway, shouldn't you change by now Toujou-senpai?" Shun asked as he took a peek at his wristwatch. "It's almost time for the meet up."

"Oh? Then I'll change quickly. See you in a few." Nozomi said before walking towards the temple. Her extra clothes would most likely be there.

"Toujou-senpai is pretty interesting isn't she?" Shun asked as he looked at Reifu.

Reifu nodded. "She is."

"I wonder about the others. If Toujou-senpai is like that then…" Shun could only imagine the personalities of everyone else. There's five more that they have to meet and they could all have different personalities.

"Honoka-chan, wait for us!" A voice called out from down the stairs. The thumping of feet could be heard now. It was as if someone was running to the top.

Someone appeared from beyond the stairs. Her sun kissed hair was being blown back by the wind. Her face filled with a joyous and excited expression. "I'm so excited to meet them!" She shouted as she landed on the last step of the stairs.

"Hey look, isn't she part of Muse too?" Reifu asked as he pointed at Honoka. Soon enough an ash gray haired girl and blue haired girl appeared, not out of breath but not exactly in their best shape either. "Them too."

"Oh you're right." Shun said as he examined them carefully. "Well now… I didn't think anyone would be as energetic as our Rin-chan." He joked as he looked over to his blue haired companion with a meek smile.

"Indeed." The other male responded.

The three girls noticed the two boys who had been conversing and headed to them immediately. "Are you two friends of Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan?" Honoka asked as she looked at them both, examining them carefully.

Shun nodded. "We are. I'm Katanashi Shun and he's Sato Reifu." The brown haired boy replied, the tension earlier from introducing himself to Nozomi was gone. "It's nice to meet you." He said with a bow with Reifu following after.

"Nice to meet you too." Honoka said. "I'm Kousaka Honoka, a second year. These are my classmates and childhood friends Sonoda Umi and Minami Kotori." The ginger haired girl said as she turned to her friends to gesture to them. Then the three of them bowed.

"I suppose you could call them normal." Reifu said as he looked at Shun.

"E-Eh? Rei, you actually thought that they wouldn't be normal?" Shun asked as he looked at his best friend.

"Well, I suppose I can still make characters out of them…" Reifu muttered to himself and continued to do so, contemplating on what to do with his manga.

The brown haired male teen smiled. "And he went to mangaka mode." He said before looking at them. "Sorry, Rei sometimes goes to this mode when he thinks of something. He'll come back sooner or later." He said with a light chuckle.

"Sato-kun's a mangaka?" Honoka asked, curiosity once more filling her eyes.

Shun nodded. "He's the author of 'Is this Love?'. He actually wanted to have his original name posted but a little problem occurred so his fake name was taken instead. He's Orimoto Kakushi."

"E-EH!?" Honoka exclaimed before grabbing Reifu's hand, shocking him out of his thoughts. "K-Kakushi-sensei! I'm a big fan of your work. I have all the volumes of your manga and I'm really happy to see you in person!"

"Honoka-chan likes to read a lot of manga you see." Kotori explained to Shun who was beside her. "One of her favorites was written by Orimoto Kakushi. She became a fan of his work ever since."

The blue haired teen nodded. "Yes, it's good to see an enthusiastic fan as well. Thank you for continuing to support me in my profession." It seems that his gratitude was truly sincere despite his monotonous reply.

Honoka let go of his hands and then twirled back to her best friends. "To think I would meet Kakushi-sensei is a real blessing!"

"I did not think that someone could draw so well could only be a first year though." Umi pointed out as she looked at Reifu. "It is true that Maki is good at a lot of things despite being the same age as you but not everyone is that talented."

"Says the heiress to the Sonoda family dojo, grade A archer, traditional dancer, flower arranger and school idol." Shun said with a smile.

Umi blushed, the sudden compliments took her completely off guard. "H-How did you know that?"

"Even if we are talented, we can still get outshone by those who work hard." Reifu said. "I already saw your face on the local newspaper and a magazine, Sonoda-senpai. You are quite famous."

"And we're not exactly blind to Akihabara's legendary maid too. We might not know much about school idol business but we at least go out." Shun said with a chuckle as he looked at Kotori. "They are such an interesting bunch aren't they Rei?"

"Ah, so the second years have arrived." Nozomi said as she walked back to the group. "You're pretty early today, Honoka-chan."

"Nozomi-chan! You were here all along?" The ginger asked as she hopped to the byzantium haired girl.

The girl nodded. "I had the pleasure of meeting these two earlier than the others." She said as she gestured to Reifu and Shun. "Although this isn't my first interaction with Sato-kun."

"Now I wonder where Maki-chan and the others are." Kotori wondered. How come they, of all people, would be late?

"Nico-chan isn't here too. Did they decide to go together?" Honoka wondered as well.

As if on cue, the four arrived with Rin talking with the others and leading them. "What took you guys so long?" Umi asked as she looked at the new arrivals.

"Nico-chan took too long nya~" Rin replied.

"W-Well, I can't help if I need to help around the house!" Nico exclaimed as she crossed her arms.

"At least we're all here right?" Kotori asked, smiling at them brightly.

"I guess we have to introduce ourselves again huh?" Shun asked before looking at Nico. "Nice to meet you, I'm Katanshi Shun." He said with a bow.

"Sato Reifu." The blue haired male said with another bow.

Nico looked at them before putting on her best smile. "My name is Yazawa Nico~" She said. Then performed her original 'Nico-Nico-nii~' in front of them. "If you don't know, I'm actually a third year."

"What an interesting character." Reifu said before looking at Shun. "Yes, it was a good idea to come here. Now I have to go back to create my manga." He said before walking away.

"Oi, wait." Shun said before pulling on the back of the collar of Reifu's shirt. "We're supposed to get to know them better remember? So you can't just bail."

"I see." The blue haired male stayed. "Then where is the other one? They were nine correct?"

"Eri-chi had some business to do." Nozomi explained for the absence of the Russian.

"What a coincidence. President's busy too. I heard he wanted to come with us so he could meet Muse as well." Shun said.

"So, where do we go now? I don't think staying at the shrine will do anything." Maki pointed out.

"We'll just have to let the guys decide it." Honoka said with a smirk.

"Agreed. Wherever they'd feel comfortable." Nozomi said with a nod of approval.

"Then… how about that place?" Reifu asked as he looked at Shun.

"There?" Shun asked. "But we don't have any food to go with it so it's not really the best place to go right now."

"We could always buy as we go there." The blue haired male pointed out. "Of course if it's alright with them." He said as he looked at the others.

"Wait… where exactly are we going?" Nico asked, bewildered at the topic since the two boys were so vague about it.

"To a secret park we often frequent to." Shun replied.

* * *

"Wow, it's so pretty." Kotori complimented as they arrived at the park. It was a little out of the way but it overlooked a portion of Tokyo. Trees surrounded the small field with a cherry blossom in the middle but it wasn't blooming yet.

"Wait 'till you go here in summer." Shun said. "The cherry blossoms scatter across the sky… a perfect sight."

"How did you guys discover this place?" Umi asked as she looked around.

"You could say we stumbled on it by accident…" Reifu said before pointing to the top where there was the main road. It had a hill heading down to where they were. "Literally."

"We actually fell from the top." Shun said with chuckle.

"Now that I think about it, Shu-kun, you're not in crutches anymore?" Hanayo observed. She didn't notice it earlier but there was a lack of cast and crutch.

"Uh, yeah. Apparently, my leg healed a little faster than expected." Shun admitted. "It wasn't really all that broken after all. My parents just overreacted and requested to have it in a cast." He said, a little embarrassed by that fact.

"So what exactly do you guys want to learn about us?" Reifu asked as he plopped down on the ground. "Technically, we can answer anything you ask us… right?"

"I suppose. If it's just some basic questions and life stories, then that wouldn't be a problem." The brown haired boy agreed as he sat down next to Reifu. The girls began to sit down as well.

"Hm… then where do you guys live?" Honoka asked.

Reifu pointed towards the portion of the city that they could see. "The apartment over there, near the Nishikino household." The Nishikino household could be seen perfectly from where they were and so the apartment was visible as well.

"Now that I think about it, there's nothing much we can ask about you guys." Umi pointed out. "You know, besides how you guys met Rin and Hanayo."

"I went to the same elementary school with them and our houses were nearby." Shun replied.

"I met Shun and in turn met them two years ago." Reifu responded as well.

"Then do you guys watch Muse?" Kotori asked, tilting her head to show her curiosity.

The brown haired boy shook his head. "Not really. I didn't know about the group before the accident. The only school idols I ever saw was A-Rise and that was because I pass by UTX every now and then."

"Neither have I. I discovered you guys when another friend of mine showed it to me the day when I visited Shun at the hospital." The blue haired male explained.

"Eh~ that's too bad." Nozomi said. "So, are you going to watch us now?"

"I guess…" Shun replied. "I mean, you girls are good at singing and all." He admitted as he rubbed the back of his head, a tinge of red on his face with his eyes avoiding the girls' gazes.

"Listening to you girls isn't half bad." Reifu said with a shrug. "I agree with Shun, you girls have talent… and your feelings those who listen who hear it, even through the internet."

The girls smiled at each other, glad that they were actually being praised even after their failure to get into the Love Live.

"Is there anything important we should know about you?" Umi asked. This was the most efficient way to find out more about the boys.

"Well I'll just go with my personal info then. I'm 15 years old, biologically male, obviously. If one must know my sexuality, then I'm straight. I'm pure Japanese, born in Okinawa but moved here to Tokyo after three years." Shun replied, his hand on his chin as he tried to think of things about him. "I hate bitter things I guess. I'm pretty much an average student at Amagiri. I think that's all…"

"As for me, I'm also 17 years old, biologically male, straight, Japanese, born in Kyoto but moved here upon request of my father." Reifu said, mimicking Shun's order. "I'm a mangaka but almost no one knows it."

"But I thought Sato-kun was a first year?" Honoka asked, wondering about his odd age. He was actually older than her even. He was about the same age as Nozomi and the rest of the third years. It was really surprising since most schools don't hold people back because of horrible grades.

"I am." The blue haired teen replied. "It's just that a lot of things happened which led me to be held back by two years."

Shun looked at Reifu before looking at the others. "Well it is pretty obvious considering his height and build. And his story is kind of... well a little depressing so he doesn't share it that much." He explained for his friend. And with that, they all grew silent either wondering what happened to him or feeling guilty that they may have made Reifu uncomfortable.

"Did you know that some people think that my family often goes abroad?" Reifu asked. It was out of nowhere and no one replied, wondering why Reifu asked that. Then it finally clicked, even with Reifu's monotonous tone and poker face, he was actually trying to alleviate the mood. But before anyone could actually speak, he continued, answering his question. "We actually don't do that often despite my parents being big shots. Only my sister does it mostly because she's a game designer." He continued. Everyone smiled at each other, seeing that the teen wasn't at all bothered with their earlier question so they continued talking.

They started to talk about idle things such as what was going on in Amagiri and such. Honoka had specifically asked if she could get the next volume earlier than the release date from Reifu only to be smacked in the head by Umi for being disrespectful. Despite this, the mangaka said that he would ask his editor if it was possible making the ginger haired girl happy. The topic shifted to Shun and Maki's incident prompting the latter to explain what happened again but with the help of the brown haired boy, the others were able to imagine the scene more vividly.

Then the conversation moved to their missing companion, Eri. The girls took turn describing the quarter Russian to at least give the two a look at her personality. They have seen her in their lives so they knew her appearance. But it would have still been better if the person herself was there so Shun and Reifu could actually wrap their heads around her personality.

"It's almost time for lunch." Reifu said as he looked at the sky before standing up and dusting himself off.

Shun looked at his wristwatch and nodded. "It's true. It's almost 12 you know?" He said as he jumped up. "Well, where do you girls want to eat? It's our treat." He offered with a smile. The least they could do was also pay for them since they were the ones who want to eat.

"That late already?" Kotori asked. "That means we've spent almost two hours here."

"Eh? Free lunch? Are you sure?" Honoka asked, not really wanting to put the burden of the bill on the guys.

"We're sure, right Rei?" The brown haired male looked to the larger man who nodded. "Come on, let's go around Akihabara and just tell us where you want to eat." He said confidently with a grin on his face.

The girls followed the two guys out of the secret park and back into the city. Admittedly, the had truly enjoyed their time with them. They were nice. Shun would usually retell a story and have Reifu back him up. Oddy though, they never asked anything about the girls of Muse unlike what they did. They guessed it was because the guys respected their privacy and probably because they were content to know their names, age and school.

"Katanashi-kun and Sato-kun are really nice." Honoka whispered to the others since Shun and Reifu were walking ahead of them.

"Not only did they let us go to their 'secret park' but they also offered to pay for our lunch." Kotori said. "You have really good friends Hanayo-chan, Rin-chan." She said with a smile as she looked at the two.

Rin giggled as if she was the one being praised instead of the two in front of them. "Well, Shu-kun's mother always taught him to be a gentleman ever since we were young." She admitted.

"Reifu-kun's always been like that. He may not look like it but he's really nice." Hanayo said as well. "Although he might space off every once in a while since he's thinking about his manga."

"Isn't that the President?" Shun wondered loudly, pointing at the other side of the street. Everyone turned to look at where he was pointing.

"Eri-chi?" Nozomi gasped as she saw the familiar blonde. Indeed, inside the family restaurant were two people. Kei was sitting opposite of Eri as they spoke with each other, smiles on their faces.

"Why is Kei and Eri together?" Maki wondered before Honoka had a… great idea.

"Let's go in!" The ginger haired girl suggested. The others could only follow as she went in to eavesdrop.

"We'll order our food then." Shun suggested as they got inside. The girls gave their orders quietly and then proceeded to sit down, out of sight from the two but they were still able to see them. Shun and Reifu left for the counter and the girls strained their ears to hear.

"Oh? You're going to meet Amagiri students today? Interesting." Kei said before taking a bite from the cake in front of him.

Eri nodded. "Yes. I suppose they're still with them right now."

"You're friends with Maki-chan right?" Kei asked as he leaned back to the chair with a glass of lemonade in his hand. "Then that means you were going to meet with Katanashi Shun and Sato Reifu with the former being the one who saved Maki-chan."

"Is that so?" Eri asked as she continued to eat. "Do you know them?"

Kei nodded. "Shun and Reifu sometimes help around the Student Council when they have the time and if we're loaded."

"The rest of Muse are also like that." Eri said, speaking fondly of her group. "They sometimes help out when Nozomi and I are busy."

"Good friends aren't they?" Kei asked with a light chuckle.

"Shouldn't we go to the main topic of the day?" The blonde asked as she placed multiple documents on the table.

The red haired male nodded. "I'd be more than happy to finally get to that subject… but I know that other people are here."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Eri asked. Of course there were other people here, they were in a restaurant after all.

"Sometimes, synesthesia can really be useful." Kei said before standing up with Eri following him. He leaned on the small wall that served as the girls', Shun and Reifu's cover from them. "You really think you can hide from me? Maki-chan, Shun, Reifu?" He asked with a smile.

"What are you guys doing here?" Eri asked as she looked at them, bewildered by their presence there.

"Ehehe… busted." Nozomi said.

"Your synesthesia is still at its finest Kei." Maki said, her arms crossed as she looked her friend in the eyes. "Your sense of memorization is amazing too. I mean, this place must be painted with all sorts of colors right?"

"True. It actually hurts my eyes, given how vibrant the others are." The red haired male said before looking at the others. "Well then, I don't think I have met some of you so I'll introduce myself. My name is Takamitsu Kei. Amagiri Gakuen's Student Council President. A pleasure to meet you all."

"So then Eri-chan's business is with you Takamitsu-kun?" Honoka asked. "Then why was she so secretive about it? Don't tell me…"

"I'm her boyfriend?" Kei said in an asking manner. "No, nothing like that. It just involves the school."

Nozomi looked at Eri, having not heard of this one before despite being the Vice President. "Eri-chi, what is he talking about?"

"Nothing." The blonde replied, looking away from her friends.

Kei smiled at Eri's response. "Now, now, Eri-senpai." He started. "I know that we wanted to keep it a secret but we just got busted so I think it's safe."

"But…" Eri seemed to want to argue about it but sighed and gave up. "Fine."

"Thank you, Eri-senpai." The red haired male said before gesturing the others to sit with them at the table they were at. The others sat at another table though but still could hear and see the main group. "I'll give the stage to you senpai."

"Well basically, we want to have an event that would join the two schools wherein both Amagiri Gakuen and Otonokizaka are required to participate and work together to make it a success." Eri said. "We brainstormed of things that we could do and we agreed on one thing."

"To make a cultural festival."

* * *

 **A/N: Rewatching Love Live has given me more inspiration than ever before! Well, now I know what I'm going to do for a while.**

 **lol: What sounds like something? Eri and Kei's conversation through the phone?**

 **juririn: Thanks for reading my stories then. And you were actually right, since Kei is the student council president of Amagiri, it was highly likely that he was one the other side.**

 **Makironiandcheese: Well it was interesting for me to write so I hope it was interesting to read as well.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: Kei is a pretty happy-go-lucky guy most of the time.**

 **Rena Bodewig: I just love Kei too much to give him a normal life. Yeah, I'll see this story to the end.**


	7. Chapter 7

"A… cultural festival?" Umi repeated before looking at the others, looking for their reactions.

"Yeah." Kei said. "It's not passed yet… in fact, Eri-senpai and I haven't even talked to the presidents about this. You see, we want it to be at least acceptable before passing it to them, thus our frequent meetings."

"Why have you been keeping it a secret then Eri-chi? I could always help you know." Nozomi said, a small pout on her face. She never could guess what Eri did when she left early; even with the use of her cards and she didn't want to stalk her so she let it go.

"I didn't want to disappoint." The blonde replied. "Everyone would be hyped up the idea but if the presidents don't approve of it… then it wouldn't end good now will it?"

"And we planned to reveal it to our Vice Presidents after we actually place a final draft on paper." Kei pointed out. "But I guess that went down the drain when you guys _accidentally_ came across us."

"I promise we did." Shun said. "We were walking down the streets and then saw you two." He continued,

"Well what have you planned out?" Maki asked as she moved to pick up one of the files, stopping and then looking at her friend for a silent permission. The latter nodded and she flipped through the pages.

"Of course, what we have planned doesn't include the stalls and such but the venue and the costs for it." Eri replied.

"Maki-chan, remember that old building we used to go to when we were kids?" Kei asked as he looked at Maki curiously.

"The one that was supposed to be a school?"

"Yup. The Takamitsu family owns it but it hasn't been used but is well maintained. I asked my father if we could host the cultural festival there and he agreed as long as we don't break anything." Kei said with a smile.

"As for the funding, well since the venue is free, there isn't exactly much to worry about besides what the student body will be doing and we won't be able to find out until we announce it." The blonde said.

"So that's it?" Honoka asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"We told you, it's still not complete." The red haired President said as he lined up the files neatly.

"Sounds pretty complete to me." Rin pointed out.

The two Presidents looked at each other before simultaneously shaking their heads, indicating that something was missing from the equation. As for what it is, the two didn't seem to want to disclose the information.

"Well if that's all then I guess we should take our leave." Reifu suggested, noticing that the two who initially wanted nothing to bother them had grown a little bit restless to talk about their project. "The Presidents need to work on their plan."

"Yeah, I guess we should." The ginger haired girl said as she stood up. "Thank you for telling us about it Eri-chan, Takamitsu-kun."

"No problem Kousaka-senpai." "It was bound to happen someday anyway."

"Now onto the next thing I noticed…" Kei said before looking at the gray haired girl who was standing beside Eri. "How long has it been _Mina-chan?_ "

The others looked at Kotori who just nervously giggled. "It has been quite a while Taka-kun… I haven't seen you since I quit my job."

"And not a single warning to me." Kei said as he rested his head on his hand. "I seriously got worried that you got into an accident or something."

"Sorry Taka-kun but we didn't see each other after that. I quit mostly because I had to focus on school idol activities and I encountered a little problem." Kotori said as she pressed her hands together in a form of apology.

Kei chuckled. "Then I accept your apology. It's really nice to see you again Mina-chan."

"Ne Taka-kun, you should just call me Kotori like everyone else." Kotori pointed out, getting a little embarrassed because of the nickname she was being called with. Inside the cafe it was alright but out here… it was embarrassing.

"Sorry Mina-chan but that's a no can do." Kei said raising one of his hand, mimicking an apology position without the other hand. "I like calling you that."

Kotori sighed. "It can't be helped then." She smiled and Kei soon followed. Two friends who have met each other again, it was evident to everyone that they were almost to the point of being closer friends if not for them being separated by the status of 'maid' and 'customer'. "Nice to see you again Taka-kun."

"Likewise."

"We'll take our leave then." Nozomi said as she smiled at the two before they all proceeded to go out, saying their goodbyes.

"Wait!" Shun exclaimed to stop everyone from leaving. Everyone looked at him, bewildered by his sudden outburst. "Come on guys, this is our first meeting. We should at least have a commemorative photo right?"

The others looked at each other, unsure of what their decision should be. "Come on guys, it won't hurt!" Honoka backed up the brown haired male after a while and then placed her arms around her friends.

"Thanks Kosaka-senpai." Shun said before they all huddled up with the two presidents still at their table. Shun raised his phone and pointed at them and took the picture. "And saved." He said and they all scattered once more.

"Now it's time to say goodbye for real." Reifu said.

"Mind sending the picture to us?" Honoka asked as she went to Shun's side as they proceeded to walk away.

"Yeah, sure." Shun replied. They then proceeded to exchanged their mail addresses.

"A rowdy bunch aren't they?" The blonde asked as she watched them leave. "I've got Honoka and Rin."

"While I have Shun and myself." Kei replied with a grin. "Although I'm qutie surprised that Shun actually became comfortable around them quickly. It took quite a bit of time before he got used to me."

"It appears my friends have quite a charm to them no?" The blonde continued as she placed her chin on her hand that was sitting on top of the table.

"I guess." They then both shared a laugh.

Eri then let out a breath that she had seemed to be holding in for the duration of the stay of their friends while Kei just leaned back at his chair. "But that was close… too close."

"Yeah. At least we managed to satisfy them…" Kei said. "But is it really alright to keep that a secret?"

"It would shock them completely." The blonde replied, eyeing a document that lied under the pile of files. "I mean, when I first heard of it, I couldn't really believe it. You were surprised too, weren't you?"

"Beyond words." Kei admitted. "I thought Headmaster was just joking back then but then he gave me the paper and…"

"We'll just have to try our best to keep this under wraps." Eri pointed out.

"And what of the next Student Council President? You're a third year Eri-senpai, someone will take over before it happens."

"I'll tell whoever it is in due time."

* * *

"So now that we talked and had our lunch… what do we do now?" Shun asked as he looked at the rest of the group.

"I suppose we can stop here." Umi suggested. "We do know enough about each other and that was the whole purpose of the meet up."

"I guess." The brown haired male said before shrugging. "See you guys next time then." He said as he stopped and turned back at them. The other stopped as well. He bowed. "Pleasure to meet all of you again."

"Same here." The others bowed as well before Shun and Reifu broke off from the group.

"Well that was fun." Shun said. "Don't you agree Rei?"

The blue haired male nodded. "Yeah, I guess it was. Rin and Hanayo made pretty interesting friends. A shrine maiden, a future fashion designer, a Sonoda family member, a quarter Russian who is apparently a friend of our President, a composer and heiress to the Nishikino family throne, an energetic leader and a… whatever you call Yazawa-san."

The brown haired male nodded. "Yeah. Not only that, but they're freaking famous! I actually did some research yesterday and I found out that they may not have entered the Love Live because of a little incident but they managed to blast through the ranks and actually qualify for the prelims for some time and that's surprising coming from a new group." He said. "They stopped after that… and I guess they're just practicing now because they need to keep themselves in top shape."

Reifu stopped and so did Shun, the latter looked back at his friend with a puzzled look. "What's the matter Rei?"

"Straying away from our newfound friends, there is something odd with Ayase-senpai and President's interaction." Reifu said as he placed his hand on his chin. "A collaboration between two schools who has a longstanding hate with each other isn't such a good idea. Not only that but they are planning this without any of the principal's knowing. I think there is more to it than just a simple cultural festival."

"What do you mean Rei?" Shun asked, wondering where his best friend got the idea from. "It's the President we're talking about here. You know how Kei-kun acts at times. He's impulsive, unpredictable and odd. This seems really like him."

"Well, that is true. But that is only true to the President, Ayase-senpai could always turn him down. What is their true purpose? Neither school is closing down and we don't exactly need any more attention so there must be another reason to it." Reifu pointed out. "But I'm not sure, it's just a gut feeling. It's definitely something that would happen in a story, and this is coming from a mangaka."

"Rei, we're not in a story." Shun pointed out. "I'm sure there's nothing complicated behind it. Maybe they just want the students of Amagiri and Otonokizaka to get along. After years of ignoring the issue, I think it is high time to finally get together."

"I suppose." The blue haired teen said as he and Shun continued on walking.

"No use thinking too much about it!" Shun exclaimed as he slapped his friend's back and the latter let out an "oof" and rubbed his back. "I'm excited on what everyone will do!"

"Well you have to be patient Shun." Reifu pointed out. "I don't think they're close to finishing it, based on what they were all saying."

"I guess… but it wouldn't hurt to plan ahead of time." Shun said.

"Actually it would since if we plan at school or even outside, we might actually get the secret out and somebody from Otonokizaka or Amagiri would hear and the secret will be blown." Reifu said. "We can't plan anything with just the two of us. Just wait for the official announcement."

Shun sighed. "I guess that's what we have to do." Suddenly his phone vibrated. "Eh?" He took it out and read it. "It's from Kosaka-senpai."

" _Hey Katanashi-kun, we forgot to thank you for that awesome day! I really hope we can all do it again along with Takamitsu-kun and Eri-chan. 'Till next time~"_

"Seems they are fond of us." Reifu said as he peeked over Shun's shoulder to read it.

" _Yeah, just call us if you guys want to hang out again. We're pretty much free senpai."_ Was Shun's reply and it was sent. "Yeah and that's good right? We're getting along with Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan's friends."

"Yes and I'm glad for that." Reifu said before nudging Shun to get a move on and they continued on.

* * *

Honoka took a peek into her phone and read Shun's text. She placed the phone back into her pocket and continued to walk with the rest of Muse.

"Today was a lot of fun~ Katanashi-kun and Sato-kun know how to keep the conversation going. They also answer our questions without a moment's hesitation." Kotori said with a smile.

"Yeah. And then finding out about the cultural festival is pumping me up!" Rin exclaimed.

"I'm actually curious on how well it would go. No one hates Amagiri anymore but I don't think they would be comfortable working with them… don't you agree?" Maki asked as she looked at the others.

"Hm… I think the presidents already took the in account." Umi pointed out. "I doubt any progress will happen in day one since the students would need to get to know the others better. I doubt Takamitsu-kun and Eri started the idea the moment they met. And look at where they are now. They look more like close friends than anything else."

"Besides, I believe in Eri-chan and Taka-kun." Kotori said. "I may not have known Taka-kun on a more personal level but I know he does a good job in thinking of weird ideas. He was the one who most likely thought up of the cultural festival. Then Eri-chan is good at executing plans."

The red haired teen went silent for a few seconds. Indeed, what Kotori said was true. She had known Kei ever since they were kids and she knew that he was a good planner. He wouldn't be a good businessman later on in life if he wasn't. Then there was Eri, their dependable Student Council President. If there was something Kei couldn't do, Eri probably has it covered. "They do make a good duo." She admitted.

"Maki-chan, can you tell us more about Takamitsu-kun?" Nozomi asked. "I would like to know more about the person who made the plan and actually got Eri-chi into it. Eri-chi wouldn't dare step into something of this caliber without consulting anyone."

The red haired girl nodded. "Do you girls know about the Takamitsu corporation?" The others shook their heads. "Gods, it wouldn't hurt to look at labels on things you know. They are a bigshot brokerage, handling most of Japan's import and export. They are also in charge of the production of weapons and they even have labs. They have a direct link to both the Japanese government and the American government."

"So that's Takamitsu-kun's family? They sound rich… and scary." Rin pointed out as the description gave her the chills.

"They have as much influence in the world of finance as my family has an influence in the world of medicine, thus the natural friendship of our parents was made." Maki said. "Getting back to the topic, Kei has the blood of businessmen and thus has good leadership skills. He has impossible ideas and makes it possible as much as possible. But he isn't good at executing his plans flawlessly, that's why he usually has a friend or his dad to help him with it."

"And that's where Eri comes in." Umi said before looking at Maki for confirmation and the latter nodded.

"We know that Eri is good at leading so she'll be able to do it without a doubt. She only needed a small push and Kei was more than ready to shove her to it." Maki continued.

"But then if he just laid out the plan, I'm sure Eri-chan would most likely refuse right?" Honoka asked. "I mean, it doesn't have anything to do with her. This large-scale cultural festival doesn't have much benefits."

Nozomi shook her head. "No, it does have benefits. By having another large-scale festival, we're making Otonokizaka more popular and Muse could perform there. It's actually a perfect opportunity." She then looked down with her hand on her chin as she was thinking of something. "But then again, Eri-chi would've told me something. She would've never accepted it if it were under those conditions."

"Not exactly." Maki stated putting her at the center of attention once more. "Kei can be very persistent. It was either she gave in on his first try because of honeyed words or she gave in when he kept pestering her about it." Although much was left unsaid for the sake of Kei not being looked at with pity or caution.

"Well, let's just leave it at that shall we?" Hanayo asked. "We can just ask Eri-chan more once we go back to school."

The others agreed to stop talking about it. It seems everyone was worried about this little encounter and plan. It was like there was a missing piece to the puzzle but none of them could figure out what that piece was. They all knew that there was something wrong… but sadly, they can't find out what it is unless they ask the two directly or steal the papers they were working on. The latter was a better option but they doubted the two Presidents would just leave something that important lying around.

Although two people, Maki and Reifu, wanted to know if there was something wrong. They wanted to prove it. And so later that day, Maki decided to confront her childhood friend who had just gone back home, hopefully. She visited the Takamitsu household, it was as big, if not bigger than her own house. She pressed the doorbell before taking a step back and waiting for the door to open.

And soon it did. Behind the door was a muscular man in a formal suit, a butler suit. He had black hair and an intimidating look to his face. But upon seeing the Nishikino heiress, his stoic face gave in to a smile. "Ah, Maki-sama, is there any business you have with the young master?"

"Greetings Kazu." The red haired teen said with a small smile on her face. "I just want to talk to him about something. Is he home?"

"Yes he is." Kazu replied before standing aside to let her in and she did. "He is currently in his room." He continued as he closed the door.

"Is he doing anything in particular?" She asked as she started to walk towards the stairs with Kazu following behind her.

"Watching anime once again perhaps? He did mention saying that he was taking a break from all the work." The black haired butler replied.

Maki nodded and they reached his room. "Thank you for accompanying me Kazu. You may leave now." She said with a kind smile, something that is rare for someone like her.

"As you wish." Kazu replied with a small bow before leaving. "Shall I prepare anything for you?"

"No need." Maki replied before waving goodbye. Kazu then left without another word. It was obvious that from their interaction, they have known each other for quite a while. Kazu was Kei's butler ever since he was young and so they were repeatedly put under his care. The reason for Kei needing a butler was because of his heart, in case it acted up again and no one else was with him. He also became a butler of sorts to Maki since the two were almost always together. They all got used to each other being there but a wall between master and servant still divided them, but at least it grew thinner as time went by.

She then turned to the door once more and then knocked. She could hear the scraping of the metal legs of the chair on the wooden floor, the quick footsteps growing closer to her position. Although the one the threw her off was the heaviness of the footsteps. Over the years, she has been observing him as a part of her training. And his steps were light, close to not making any sound at all but this time was different. She could hear it clearly. The door opened and revealed Kei, his hair unusually disheveled and his eyes threatening to close. "Ah, Maki-chan…" His voice was hoarse. "Come in." He continued before grabbing the side of the door as he almost fell.

The red head's first instinct was to grab him and put him in bed. "Kei, you're sick." She said. She didn't even need to check his temperature. His whole body and condition screamed it. "You should be in bed." She continued as she wrapped one arm around him to help him walk. She then helped him lie down, which was just simply dumping him on the bed since she can't really do anything else with her current strength. He was too heavy for her. "You're such a good actor, you know that right? So good that it's frustrating. You met with us with a smile, and Eri wasn't aware of it, and when you came back, no one knew… so why can I see it so clearly now?"

Kei chuckled a little. "I can't keep it up forever. Besides, Eri-senpai found out soon after you guys left. That's why I got home earlier. She reprimanded me and told me to rest and take some medicine. I didn't let her walk me all the way home though so no one found out." He replied and then looked at Maki. "Didn't expect for you to come though, did you need something?"

"That can wait later." Maki said before walking towards a drawer. She opened it and it revealed a lot of pills, medicine for Kei. She looked at them sadly before continuing to find the medicine for his fever. He kept a lot of medicines here. "Did you already take them?"

"No, it's too early." Kei said as he snuck a look at the digital watch he had. Yeah, it was still too early to take them.

"Your insomnia?" She continued as she took out the bottle of medicine.

Kei sighed. "Inconsistent as always." He then closed his eyes. "I didn't know I would have an examination today. You should've told me."

"Consider this a surprise examination then." Maki said before getting water from the dispenser he had in his room. Yeah, his room definitely had anything and everything he needed. The only thing he probably didn't have is a kitchen, if he did, it would've been a whole house packed into one room. She then took the glass of water and pill to the sick teen.

"That's not fair." Kei said before sitting up and drinking the medicine. Maki then took the glass back on top of the drawer and then took a seat on the chair of his desk. Her childhood friend did not react even though he knew that she would see everything that was written on the computer.

"Kei, what is this?" Maki asked as she continued reading. "Isn't this the files for the cultural festival?" He nodded silently. "You were sick and you still continued to do work?" She was doing everything in her power to not raise her voice. She usually didn't get angry but Kei's condition only made it worse to have a fever. "Even after Eri told you not to and sent you home, you still continued? Are you an idiot?"

Kei looked away from where Maki was and towards the window next to his bed. "Perhaps." Was his only reply and silence followed, neither speaking up. He knew that if he said anything else, she would blow a fuse and actually hit him. He didn't like it, Maki being angry. It had been a long time since he last saw her this angry and he forgot how sad it was. Her silent anger, keeping it all in and not releasing it.

Perhaps he actually wanted for her to yell at him, just to hear… feel her emotions. He wanted her to release all of it but he doesn't want to force her to do it. He looked at his friend who had stood up. Yes, she had to do it by herself so she could learn how to do it. "I'm leaving." She said before walking to the door. The words pierced the silent air the hung above them. He could feel the anger seeping out of the words but it was still not enough. That didn't even make a dent in the pent up feelings she had in her heart. She slammed the door behind her and left the building.

"I really do wonder how heavy your heart feels right now. How much weight you placed on it over the years… Doesn't it hurt Maki-chan?" Kei asked as soon as she left. He talked to the air, not having the courage to say it to her directly. "Heh… with your new friends… maybe, hopefully, you'll learn how to release all your emotions on me. I know you're angry, frustrated with someone like me but you just won't admit it." He continued. Kei doesn't see Maki as a grown mature girl everyone sees, he sees her as a frightened child who doesn't want to lose her friends. That is the main reason why she kept her negative feelings hidden, especially around him. He knew that, he just pretended he didn't. "But I really do wonder why she came here though…"

He stood up once more, heading for the computer. He sighed in relief. Good thing he didn't open that file or else Maki would've seen and he would've died. He then walked over to the drawer of medicines and began taking his daily pills of medicine.

* * *

Night has dawned yet Eri still hasn't went to sleep. She had already told Arisa to go to bed because it was getting late into the night. She was thinking about the cultural festival, they had done most of the papers and they just need to show it to the headmasters of both schools. She can't help but think about her last remaining weeks as president so it means they needed to do this before she steps down.

The previous days have been, admittedly, stressful for her. Thinking of possible conflicts and solutions to them was hard to do. Although she wasn't in a position to complain since Kei has been getting the same amount of stress, maybe even more. She was in charge with things such as events that would possibly happen, how to avert it and how to ensure the students' safety, Kei, on the other hand, had to put it on paper, talk with his father for the school and things. They both had their works cut out for them. Although she was surprised that they got so far.

The phone rang and she picked it up. _"Heyo Eri-senpai."_

"Kei? I thought I told you to rest." The blonde said.

" _You did."_

"Then why are you awake?"

" _Insomnia."_

"Your condition?"

" _My medicine."_

"Fine." Eri sighed, getting tired of their short responses to each other. "So why are you sad?"

" _What makes you say I'm sad?"_

"You usually say a lot of things, not going straight to the point. Now, you just answer with one or two words." Eri said. "I've known you for months now and I think I can notice that something's wrong."

" _Perceptive."_ Kei said before following with a hoarse chuckle. _"Maki-chan came by earlier, got reprimanded because I was sick. She took a look at the files I was working on."_

Eri's eyes widened, obviously shocked about the last part. "Did she find out?"

" _Luckily, no."_ The blonde sighed in relief. _"I thought I should report that to you senpai."_

"There was no need really." Eri pointed out before leaning onto her chair. "Please Kei, try and go to sleep alright? If you really can't, then…"

" _Then what?"_

"I suppose you just have to rest. Your condition isn't the best you know." Eri said. "So rest up."

" _Got it. Night."_

"Good night." Eri replied before hanging up. She then turned around towards her bed. _Maybe I should go to sleep too._ She thought to herself before tucking herself in and retiring for the night.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, remember me? Probably not, it's been a month or two after all… sorry about that, I really got busy. But now I'm back but I still can't assure a fast update so… yeah…**

 **makironiandhonks: Yeah, a big surprise.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: I admit, it was a little weird but she has her reasons. Kei…**

 **Rena Bodewig: Hey… just because it's just a project doesn't mean it ain't big. And who knows… maybe there's something bigger?**

 **lol: Be a perfect partner? Who? Eri and Kei? Shun and Maki?**


	8. Chapter 8

A week has passed by since the whole meeting. Kei had recovered the day after and explained why he thinks he caught the cold. He had a great immunity system, if you can call it that since he's pretty much a walking disease person, but he can hold his own against things like colds and fevers. He had jogged in the morning twice while it was raining. He needed to get his own exercise everyday at 5 in the morning. He figured that it was only a short jog and he'd quickly rinse off after so he would be fine. He also pushed himself to the limit everyday and that was the root of the problem. He had been ordered to stop doing that and sleep earlier if his insomnia allowed it.

Eri's days as president was counting down. She already knew who would succeed her. It was a certain energetic ginger haired girl. But she can't tell her yet. No, she'll keep it a secret and make the cultural festival happen before she gets the position. She had talked to Kei to show it to the headmasters, thinking that it was complete. Although he was really hesitant, he agreed, also knowing that Eri's days were limited. They had to act fast if they wanted to keep the whole thing a secret before either of the headmasters tell it to everyone.

Currently they awaited outside the two doors that led to the office. The meeting was being held at Otonokizaka, at school times. Both Eri and Kei were excused from their classes. Why they didn't just allow them to hold the meeting after classes was beyond them.

"I can't believe it." Kei said, tugging his collar a bit. His voice was actually shaking meaning he was nervous. "I'm actually getting nervous about it." He wore his uniform, the Amagiri uniform. The moment he entered Otonokizaka, he already felt stares. Eri was the one who greeted him at the gate in the morning and he saw Maki and the others after that. The classes haven't started yet and that was why he was a little nervous. You see, entering an all-girls' academy when you're a guy in the morning is actually pretty embarrassing, even for someone as outgoing as Kei. He could hear the whispers about him being from Amagiri and things like that. The sudden blasts of colors coming from the students caught him by surprise too. "We should've held this at my school. I'm getting a migraine just being here."

Eri rubbed his back and reassured him, "It'll be over soon alright? And besides, think of this as your training. If this idea got approved, you'd have to deal with hundreds of students." She knew of all of his conditions. He had to admit it to her since Eri had actually figured out that he was sick. Kei didn't know how she knew, she just did. She called it a 'woman's intuition'. He would've argued but he was at lost on the real reason so he just let it go and explained everything about him.

"Yeah…" Kei said. He was actually pretty happy that Eri was there with him and not someone else. Should it have been someone else, he wouldn't have spoken of his condition. And they said he was a manipulative guy. "So how long are we going to stand here?" He asked as he looked at the President, obviously uncomfortable since multiple people were passing by. They were all heading to their classroom.

"I don't know." The blonde replied with a smile at her distressed friend. "You're calm when you meet with high ranked and well known businessmen but you get nervous when you meet with your own headmaster? How does that work?" She asked and he remained silent. "You're not fair." Eri said. "I'm the one who should be nervous. I'm the one who's going to explain things you know?"

"My father's there." Kei muttered, loud enough for Eri to hear. "I'm nervous because he's there. I'm sure he'll try to drill me into the ground."

"Your father sounds like he wants to beat you up verbally." The blonde said as she crossed her arms.

Kei chuckled nervously. "You'll see."

RIght after that, the door opened revealing a black haired woman. It was his father's assistant. "They are ready for you. The files have been read." Eri and Kei looked at each other and nodded, giving each other silent reassurance. "Good luck to you both." The assistant with a smile.

"Thank you." Eri said with a bow before both proceeded inside.

Principal Minami and Principal Terasaka were sitting down on the chairs, looking at the two presidents as they entered. They looked worried. Well, now they were sure the two knew what would happen. Their gazes turned to the man who had an intimidating aura around him.

Kei's father, Miroku Takamitsu, was sitting down on a chair. He had a different hair color than his son. He had ebony black hair and black eyes. He stared them down, challenging them to speak. He had the files in his hands, It was like walking into a pride of lions and now they were going to challenge the Alpha. Eri's tongue twisted, she was not prepared for this. It shocked her.

"Good morning." Kei said first with a huge smile. Eri looked at him, thankful that he broke the silence. "So I assume you have all read the files and so we'll explain it." He said before throwing his arm around the blonde's shoulders. "And the one who'll start us off is Eri-senpai." He said before looking at her and smiling.

Eri snapped out of it as Kei touched her. She could see that he was as nervous as her, if not more, but he managed to speak. His smile was wavering, twitching. She nodded at him and he stepped away, removing his arm around her. She took a deep breath and then started to explain the goals of the cultural festival, how they think it will go and how much they think it would cost, excluding the products the students will use. After all, both Student Councils will cover the advertisements, electricity, gas, and water used in the festival. She then continued to explain what countermeasures she came up with in the event that something will go wrong. She also explained the flow of events and how many days it will take.

Miroku closed the folder after Eri had finished. "I must say this is very well done." He said, praising them first and then looking at the headmasters who nodded their heads, agreeing with the man. They seemed to have no complaints about it. "Did you do this Kei?" He asked, looking at the red haired boy.

"Not alone father." Kei replied. "Eri-senpai pitched in. I would say, half and half." He continued. He had his hands behind his back in fear that his father would catch them shaking and reprimand him for not having any confidence.

"I see." Miroku said. "I have multiple questions for you. I know you made it clear but can you tell me about the real goals of this?"

"As I stated, it is to increase the bond of the Otonokizaka students and the Amagiri students. SIr, I know you are well aware of what will happen. It would be best that they all get along don't you think?" Eri replied, her confidence already back.

Miroku nodded. "How are you so sure that this will succeed? Two different schools, two different genders, and considering your history, some might not cooperate with you. Some will even hate you because of the idkea."

"Father, you are wrong. I think we have all settled our differences." Kei replied. "The incident happened six years ago and everyone would've forgotten about it. Amagiri students will behave and show that we are different from what they thought. There are already some friends between the students and from here, the others will know that they can all get along thus sealing our success."

"Then how will you decide the classes? If you want cooperation, then you have to mix it up."

"Both schools have the same number of classes in each year." Eri started. "The first year will have to be divided in half because there would only be one class if we didn't. Once we have all gathered them, then we will start mixing them. We would just mix the guys with the girls in the other years." She continued.

"And in the event that someone decides to 'crush' your party?"

"I personally hired some guards who will be watching over us so all will be fine." Kei said. "It was easy to do so really, since they owed me." He continued with a small chuckle.

Miroku smiled at the two. "Then I accept this idea." He said. The two presidents looked at each other and smiled, silently cheering in their heads. "It seems you have everything covered." He then turned to Principal Minami and Principal Terasaka and bowed. "Thank you for inviting me here. Now I must leave." He then turned to the two. "Good job." He said before leaving the room.

Eri let out the breath that she had been holding in while Kei cheered. "I thought you said he was going to drill us into the ground."

Kei chuckled. "He was going easy on us. We're just high schoolers after all. My father ain't a sadist." He replied before turning to the two principals.

"You will announce this to the students tomorrow at assembly. We'll do it at the school building that we will be using." Principal Terasaka stated as he stood up.

"Tomorrow already?" Eri asked, completely in disbelief. That was too quick!

"You have everything in order correct? Then that will be fine." Principal Terasaka replied.

"Besides, we have to do this before you retire Ayase-san." Principal Minami reasoned. "I think you two will do a great job."

"Thanks!" Kei exclaimed before turning to Eri. "And now, we gotta run back to school. Ride but same thing." He then held out a hand to Eri.

The blonde took it and shook his hand. "See you tomorrow then Kei." She said.

"Right, Eri-senpai!" He then turned to his principal. "Let's go?"

"I'll stay here and talk with Minami first." Principal Terasaka said.

Kei bid farewell and left the school building, heading for his own. Eri, on the other hand, returned to her classroom. She would need to explain everything about the cultural festival to Nozomi later. Although she can't say everything…

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Principal Minami asked as she walked over to make some tea for herself and her guest.

"I think after this cultural festival, we shall relieve our dear presidents of the weights they carry in their hearts." Principal Terasaka replied. "They objected to such management but they had no choice but to accept it. They are deprived of the right to tell it to anyone. And now look at them, making a project just for that, just to make it easier for others to accept." He sighed as Principal Minami continued to listen as she brought the tea. "They have a huge load on them yet they could still operate like this."

"I'm afraid we might have broken them." Principal Minami agreed, getting what he was trying to point out. "Not only did we tell them to never tell the students, we went as far as telling them to never speak a word of it to their trusted vice presidents. They are strong people aren't they?" She continued, before taking a sip of the tea. "After the cultural festival, after the student council elects another president, let us tell the students everything."

"Indeed." Principal Terasaka said with a nod before sipping his tea. "Although it is amazing that they managed to make something like this while still hiding its true reason why the needed to do this. Hiding it under the guise of 'enhancing relationships between the two schools.' A truly wonderful thing, if not for the reason behind it."

The two principals discussed what they would do while drinking their tea. They both knew that what they were doing was outrageous, evidenced by Kei and Eri's strong dislike to it, but they thought it was for the best of both schools.

* * *

Eri and Nozomi met up in the student council room. The blonde began to explain everything Nozomi had to know about the cultural festival. It was the second festival they will be doing, same with Amagiri, and it will be held at the unused school building near Akihabara. She had also apologized to why she didn't tell her earlier and explained why. It was as Maki guessed, Kei did pester her after a while.

"It's alright Eri-chi." Nozomi reassured her apologizing friend. "At least you two managed to get it approved and all that time spent was not in vain." She then took out a card from her tarot deck and frowned. "But there's still something that you are hiding." She stated. Nozomi knew that for a fact; she didn't need the cards to tell that it was present. A secret that the Russian didn't want her, or anyone, to know. It unnerved the shrine maiden. Eri confided to her in multiple things ever since they met but this was the first time the girl was so unwilling to keep it a secret but does so anyway.

Eri shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I… I can't tell you Nozomi." She admitted as she looked down, obviously ashamed.

"Was it Takamitsu-kun?" Nozomi asked. Even Eri knew that he would be suspected since he was the one who suggested that the cultural festival be planned in secret.

The blonde quickly shook her head as she looked at her best friend. "No! It's not him." She replied. "Even he's being forced to keep it a secret." She continued. As long as she didn't spill all the beans about it, they wouldn't mind right?

The byzantium haired girl could see how distressed her friend is. She walked to her and then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then who?"

The blonde didn't have the courage to look at her friend. "I can't tell… you that either…" She replied.

Nozomi could see two routes she could take and it would lead to three possible results. It was either she continues questioning Eri and she breaks and confess whatever it was, or she continues questioning Eri and she breaks and leaves without saying a word or she backs away and just let time do its tricks. The shrine maiden sighed as she stepped back, choosing the latter as a safe choice. "Whenever you're ready then…"

The meeting was over. Eri had told her everything she needed to know and so Nozomi left, leaving the president alone. "I'm so sorry…" She muttered to herself. She hated keeping it a secret and now Nozomi knew she had a secret and it would be all the more harder. She wondered if Kei was dealing with the same feelings… probably not since he and his vice president didn't seem close from his stories.

She placed a hand on her phone. It has been an almost daily occurrence for one of them to call the other for possibly help. The two had been closer to each other, reaching to the point where they trust each other to help them with their problems especially if that was involved. It was all because of that little… no, big secret they kept. They became dependent to each other because of that. She knew that Kei felt that way as well.

The phone suddenly rang, jolting her out of her thoughts. She picked it up and looked at the ID number. It was Kei… well then, why would he call? He picked it up.

 _"So yeah… Why is Toujou-senpai at our school?"_ Kei asked.

"She's what?" Eri asked as she stood up from her seat. "She's confronting you about the secret… she thinks it was you who told me to keep quiet."

 _"Oh… Well, I'm going to talk to her then. Clear up this misunderstanding."_

"Thank you." Eri said.

 _"I'll try to tell her everything I can. I'm sure you were distressed that's why you couldn't think straight."_ Kei said. Bullseye. If she could detect things about him, he could detect things about her.

"Has it only been three months since we met?" Eri asked as she sat down. "Seriously, it's like we've known each other for so long."

 _"I guess our condition does that."_ Kei said with a chuckle. _"Well anyway, time to talk to Toujou-senpai before some pervert gets to her before I do." And with that, they both hung up._

* * *

Nozomi stood at the gate of Amagiri Gakuen. Some of the students were leaving for home. It didn't seem that they came from clubs, maybe they were students who just decided to leave late? She could hear some whispering about her, thinking she was a girlfriend of someone there. They could easily make out her uniform. She was from Otonokizaka after all, and students see the others frequently when walking home but never paid special attention to them.

"Toujou-senpai?" Her eyes searched for the owner of the voice to see Shun and Reifu approaching her. "What are you doing here?"

Nozomi smiled at them, glad to see a familiar face. "Hello there Katanashi-kun, Sato-kun. I was just here to talk to your president."

"Kei-kaichou is in the Student Council room." Reifu said. "He just told both of us about the whole cultural festival, told us that he trusts us more than his vice president." He continued with a shrug. "Well he was absent in this first place."

Nozomi nodded. "Should I?"

"No need really." Kei said as he approached the group. "Unless you want for us to talk there." He continued. "You do know that I have a clear view of the gate right?"

"Ah Kei-kaichou." Shun said. "We're going to leave then. Still have a little meeting with the trio." He said before he and Reifu waved goodbye and the two did so as well.

Nozomi looked at Kei, a serious look settling at her face. "So did you-"

Kei raised a hand to stop her. "I will explain everything and I will answer your questions. I would like to make two things clear. One, I was not the one who told Eri-senpai to keep this little thing a secret. Two, I need to keep it a secret as well so I cannot answer all your questions in detail. If you get it, then let's begin."

"Why keep it a secret?"

"Because they told us to." Kei replied simply. "We can't disobey."

"Who are 'they'?" Nozomi asked. Kei shook his hand, signalling that it was a secret. "Then is this secret connected to the cultural festival?"

"Wow, that is actually correct. It is the real reason why we are holding it." Kei replied.

"Who made the cultural festival plan?" Nozomi had to be sure that it was them. They kept it a secret and that's why she thinks it might just be another plan that they accidentally discovered.

"That one was made by Eri-senpai and me. They don't have anything to do with it." Kei replied.

"I'm done. I won't pry into this secret anymore and I can tell that you're perfectly honest." Nozomi said with a smile.

"I promised Eri-senpai after all." The red haired male said. "I trust for you to piece everything up. You're a pretty smart person after all Toujou-senpai, I can tell." He said, patting her shoulder. "I didn't say anything out of line so I wouldn't be in fault."

"I'll try my best to find out then. Can I ask you more questions?" Nozomi asked as she took out her phone.

Kei took out his as well and they exchanged mail addresses. "Anytime you want. Just shoot me a message and I'll try to answer it as soon as possible."

"Thank you very much for answering my questions." Nozomi said as she hid her phone.

"No problem." Kei replied. "So I'll go now. I still need to mail my vice about everything. Honestly that guy needs to be present more often."

"He's always absent?" Nozomi asked.

"Yeah. He's always absent for some reason. My father's already getting sick of him and Principal Terasaka is starting to think of expelling him. The total number of his actual present days is a month, half of those are half days. I don't even know why he's the vice president." Kei said as he ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed in exasperation, something he doesn't usually do. "I can only wish I had a vice president like you." He admitted.

Nozomi smiled. "I hope he gets into his work sometime. We can't have you all stressed out now since you're still young." She said, patting his head.

Kei flinched at the touch, surprised at the sudden action. He was caught off guard it seems as he suddenly backed away. Nozomi looked at him weirdly, thinking that he wouldn't mind. He started to think of something to say, an excuse. "You're gonna ruin my hair senpai." He said before moving his hands to fix his hair. "Anyway, being stressed runs in the family so it's nothing."

"Is that so?" Nozomi took out her tarot card, much to Kei's bewilderment, and picked a card. She then looked at him seriously. "Takamitsu-kun, I suggest you rest more. Pushing yourself to your limits is good every now and then but don't do it too often. You might find yourself in a grave situation." She advised before putting her cards away, the seriousness in her face faded.

The red haired teen opened his mouth before closing it again, finding no words to say. He then looked down and nodded. "Yeah, sure." He muttered. "Well I seriously better go now. Goodbye and thanks for the advice." He said before turning around and leaving.

Nozomi nodded and then left the school grounds herself. "I see you managed to squeeze some information out of him." A voice said and she looked to where it came from. Standing behind the gates was Reifu who was seemingly eavesdropping. "I'm quite glad. At least I know what's happening."

"You were eavesdropping Sato-kun?" Nozomi asked as she looked at the taller person.

"I was." Reifu replied. "I wanted to know more about this project. It seemed suspicious to me, how they both kept it a tight secret." He then propped himself off the wall and then started walking towards her. "I'll walk you home." He said simply.

"Alright." Nozomi said, finding no reason to argue with him coming along to escort her back home. "Although I thought you went with Katanashi-kun."

"I was supposed to… but I thought I should stick around to find out what I can." Reifu replied as they walked. "I am sorry for eavesdropping. That is disrespectful."

"No it's fine. You should say sorry to your president though." Nozomi pointed out. "I doubt he wanted anyone else hearing about it."

Reifu shook his head. "I'm sure he won't mind." Despite their short time together, Kei became good friends of the two so Reifu could confidently say these things. "Besides, he would tell us eventually, might as well hear it now."

"That's one way to look at things." The byzantium haired girl said with a smile. "So what do you think about it?"

"It'll probably take me a few days to piece everything up. But I'm sure of one thing…" Reifu said. "It's the one behind keeping Ayase-senpai and Kei-kaichou's mouths. I'm sure you know who they are."

The shrine maiden nodded her head. "They're the only ones who can keep them from saying anything. Principal Minami…"

"And Principal Terasaka." Reifu added. They looked at each other. "So there's something big in store for us. I just hope it's not something too bad."

Nozomi nodded. "Yeah." She then sighed and looked at the setting sun. She had left school early despite Eri's discussion, met with Kei and now was walking back. She couldn't believe that all that wasn't really long since the sun was just setting. "Sato-kun, do you think we can find out what it is?"

"We can." Reifu replied. "But we won't know if it is right or not until they finally say it to everyone."

The two went silent, finding nothing else to talk about. The comfortable silence covered the two for a few minutes. There weren't many instances where she walked with a guy back to home before in her life… perhaps the only experience she had was walking home with her dad and that wasn't much experience. She started to wonder what people talk about at times like this. She was always alone when she was a kid then when she became friends with Muse, she only talked to Eri about girl stuff. She never had many interactions with males.

"What sort of footage did you get in the video camera I gave you?" His voice broke the silence and snapped her out of her thoughts. Was he uncomfortable with the silence? Was he thinking the same things like her? No, impossible. He had female friends like Rin and Hanayo so he must have had some experience with talking. "Senpai?" He looked at her. Oh, she drifted back into her thoughts.

"Nothing much." Nozomi replied with a nervous chuckle. "It has been very useful to Muse though. We took footages using it and then used it for the live streaming." She replied with a smile on her face, remembering the memories she had made with the girls.

"Really now." Reifu said, although it held no questioning tone. It wa as if he said, "I see" instead of that. "I would like to see those if I can Toujou-senpai." He requested. As a mangaka, he needed some more information about personalities of different people and maybe he would find some interesting things in there.

"For your manga I assume?" The byzantium haired girl asked. She would allow normal people to see it because she knows that they just want to see random things but Reifu wasn't a normal person, she knew that much. He was a mangaka after all and he doesn't look like someone who just wants to see random people do random stuff.

The blue haired teen nodded. "I need more references you see. You people are interesting and perhaps your videos have things that I can use."

"I'm not sure if they will help but you can watch them." Nozomi replied. "I can give it to you later but you will have to wait for a while, I still need to find it."

"It is much appreciated senpai. I will wait." Reifu said with a nod. The two continued to walk down the road, talking about nothing and just relaxing in the comfortable silence.

* * *

As Nozomi was just talking to Kei, something else was happening at the crossing between Amagiri Gakuen and Otonokizaka High. Since Shun had gone ahead of Reifu because he personally did not hold any interest in any secrets Kei was keeping. He was content with knowing what he is allowed to because he knew that he will find out about it without having to resort to eavesdropping.

"Katanashi-kun?" The brown haired teen stopped and then turned to the owner of the voice and saw the red haired girl he saved standing near him. "You're walking home alone?" She asked as she approached him.

"Yeah." Shun replied. "Rei wanted to hang back for a while." He then stood there awkwardly as Maki just nodded, not making any move to speak or walk. "Er, want to walk home together? I'll walk you all the way." His home was closer from here but he might as well take her all the way there like a proper gentleman.

The red haired female just nodded before walking ahead with Shun following. The brown haired male put both of his hands in his pockets while his schoolbag was hanging from his shoulder. "Are you still a little upset because of Kei?" He asked, dropping the honorific '-kaichou- because he wasn't at school anymore.

"Huh?" Maki looked at him as if she wasn't amused with his question. "Of course not. He can do whatever he wants. I was only concerned because I was tasked to look after him." She said with a huff.

Shun might be a little dense but that doesn't mean he doesn't notice Maki's true feelings. "So you are still upset with him." He knew that his statement was right. It was written all over the tsundere's face.

Maki glared at him before looking back at the road. "How do you know about it anyway?" She asked with an irritated voice.

Her tone doesn't seem to bother Shun. Well, in all honesty, there has been some instances for the past two weeks where they walked home together without the presence of Rin and Hanayo which made it natural for them to talk like this. At first, Shun was scared to talk in fear that she might get irritated but when time passed by, not only did he get used to it, he actually managed to see through her act… well, sometimes, like now.

He chuckled. "Kei told us." He replied. "He's pretty open about it. He looked a little sad when he did though." He then closed the distance between he and her and nudged her. "Come on, forgive him already Nishikino-san."

"W-Well, it was his fault to begin with." Maki said. "If he was more careful, I wouldn't be angry with him."

Shun smiled. "I thought you weren't angry with him?"

The red haired girl blushed slightly as she avoided any eye contact with the person beside her. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because I don't like seeing friends fight." He said, sincerity in his voice. Somewhere in there, Maki could hear that he was sad which made her a little guilty.

"F-Fine." Maki said, giving in. "He probably got over it already though. He recovers really quickly. Look, next time when we meet, we go back to normal, as if nothing happened. That's how it always happened so I'm not especially worried." She admitted. She knew her best friend really well, and knows every side he has, and vice versa. That's why the two can make up with neither side apologizing. Because their bond isn't so shallow.

"Oh." Shun said. "Rin-chan and I are practically the same with you two. We make up soon after we argue about something… although Hanayo-chan helps out a lot." He admitted with a small chuckle.

The red haired female looked up, the blush not there anymore. Ah, the sun was setting. The sky was tinted orange because of the setting sun. "Beautiful." She muttered to herself, finding the whole scene calming. She forgot the presence of Shun there since her focus was on the sky. She had also stopped walking. She wondered if the stars would show themselves this night. She had always liked stargazing but even if there were clear skies, they said the sights were better at more rural areas.

"The sky looks better at Okinawa." Shun commented, following Maki's gaze. "It's not obscured by skyscrapers and you can clearly see the stars shining." He continued and then noticed that Maki was staring at him. He smiled. "You like the sky don't you?"

"The stars actually. I like stargazing." Maki admitted.

"You should visit Okinawa sometime. I'll go with you. The stars there are really nice out there." Shun pointed out.

Maki looked at him and she could see that he was waiting for an answer. They weren't even that close yet but he freely invited her to go to his hometown to see the stars. Heck, most didn't know about her hobby of stargazing yet someone she just met two weeks ago know about it already. "Yeah, let's bring the others with us too." There it was. She just admitted to someone she just met that she really did treasure her friends. She knew that she didn't openly admit it to the others but now she was really open about her feelings. "I think they'll like it."

Shun nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I guess. You guys can stay at my house. May not be big but we'll manage right?" He continued.

Maki nodded before they continued to walk. They mostly talked about Shun's hometown, Okinawa. Despite not growing up there, he still visited every now and then because his grandparents and parents were there. Every year, he went there. He even took Reifu, Rin and Hanayo there before too, since his parents allowed it because they were all close friends.

* * *

Nozomi and Reifu arrived at her apartment. Reifu looked down the railing as Nozomi unlocked the door. It would take quite a while before he reached his apartment since this place was actually out of the way. Well he had no way of knowing and he still wouldn't leave Nozomi if he did, he wouldn't dare leave girls to their own accord when it'd night. He would feel a little guilty if something happened to them. The sound of the lock unlocking itself made Reifu turn back to the door.

"Come in." Nozomi said as she entered her own home. Reifu did as he was told and entered, removing his shoes and closing the door.

"Pardon the intrusion." Reifu said, just out of habit.

"Sit down on the couch. I'll give you the memory card in a moment." Nozomi said as she continued to her room and Reifu sat down. He looked around. This place was really similar to his and Shun's house. She was living alone, like them. He perfectly knew how lonely it can get when you live alone. Now he wondered where her parents were. He continued to look around before his eyes caught one picture. It was when Nozomi was just a kid. She was with her parents it seems but she somehow looked sad. He took a closer look and then took the picture frame.

Yeah, this was definitely her when she was a kid. Her parents stood beside her. Behind them was what seemed to be a house. He turned the picture frame and noticed a small note. "It was time to move again." Was what was written. Reifu raised an eyebrow at this and then looked at the picture again. Oh, so this was a picture that serves as a memoire. But what really caught his attention was the note and what it said. Moving wasn't really a big deal but it said, 'again', which meant that she was doing this for a long time now.

"It is considered bad manners to look at personal things without permission." Reifu looked up from the picture frame and towards the byzantium haired girl who was standing a few feet away from him. She had her arms crossed but it didn't seem that she was very angry.

"I heard it is." Reifu said as he placed the picture back in its place. "Forgive me then, for my bad manners. I was simply curious on why you looked so sad in the picture." He continued before gesturing to it.

Nozomi looked at the picture and sighed. "I moved a lot when I was a kid. I never really had any friends because of it. It was just when I reached high school that I managed to make a friend."

"Ayase-senpai I assume?" The blue haired male guessed and Nozomi nodded.

"Yeah. She was just like me, pushed away everyone else. I guess when we found that in common, we started to become good friends." Nozomi said, admitting everything to Reifu since he was here and he managed to see the picture. She should really remove that next time.

"I see." Reifu knew not to pry any further, if there was anything to even pry at this point. He stood up. "I'll take the memory card then."

Nozomi nodded and gave him the chip. He then placed it in his breast pocket. "Take care on your way home Sato-kun. Oh and don't forget to bring it back alright? Give me your number so I can call you once I need it."

He nodded and they exchanged mail addresses. "Reifu… you can call me Reifu." The male said as he looked seriously at Nozomi.

"Then call me Nozomi, without the senpai. We're the same age aren't we?" The byzantium haired girl said with a smile.

"Alright. See you again Nozomi." Reifu said as he started to walk towards the door.

"Yeah. Until next time Reifu." Nozomi said, following him towards the door.

The male nodded and then headed out. Before Nozomi could close the door, he spoke up again, "At least you have more friends now right?" He said. "And if you need someone to talk to, you can go to me." He then waved goodbye and left the apartment.

Nozomi watched as he left and then closed the door. A new friend and someone to talk to huh? She never knew she could find one so quickly after a first meeting. She knew full well that Reifu and her didn't have the same experiences but maybe it was because he was also living alone that he can somehow relate to her? Well she didn't know and right now she frankly didn't care. Gaining a new friend was great for her actually. This would also give her a chance to socialize with guys this time.

* * *

"See senpai? Told you I'll handle it." Kei said as he was leaning on the gate of Otonokizaka High. Eri waited for him there so he could personally report what happened. "I didn't say anything out of line but it was enough to please Toujou-senpai." He continued, ending the report. "I'm sure she'll be back to normal again tomorrow."

The blonde sighed in relief. "Well at least she got some information. I really don't like keeping it a secret, especially from her." She said. "She's my best friend you know? And she's really perceptive about things and I need to be extra careful so she won't find out."

Kei sighed. "Yeah, it's pretty hard. I'm sure Maki-chan is trying to figure me out as well." He said. "I think that was the main reason she visited the day I was sick."

"Alright, let's go." Eri said. "It's night and we really need to get home."

"You want me to walk you home?" Kei asked as he pushed himself off the wall and proceeded to walk beside the other president.

"No thank you. And with your condition, I think I should be the one walking you home." The blonde said. Kei was not sure whether she was serious or if she was joking about it.

"Aw come on, I've been walking home alone you know? I can perfectly handle it." Kei said, feeling a little defensive. He wasn't sensitive with his ailment but he was pretty sensitive when people says he can't do something because of it.

"If you say so." Eri said, knowing that she shouldn't push his buttons. "Send me a script later for tomorrow?"

"Oh we're writing a script? Thought we'd go all improptu style since we don't have time." Kei said, not expecting that.

"We can't go onstage without any preparation you know." Eri pointed out.

"Fine, fine. I'll make one later and send it to you. Can you please be the one to split up the first years?" He asked. "I'll send you the class record for the first year names and pictures immediately once I get back home."

"Alright." Eri replied. The two then continued to converse about the upcoming announcement that they will be doing. They were pretty nervous on what their reaction would be like but they already pushed the idea, might as well see it to the end. And so, that's that.

 **One week before Cultural Festival. One week and two days before Eri steps down from presidency.**

* * *

 **A/N: Heyo guys. I just want y'all that I edited a bit of information about Reifu. It's in Chapter 6 but I won't bother you guys with going back and then re-reading the chapter so I'll just say it here. Reifu is actually 17 years old but still a first year because of reasons not yet fully revealed. Anyway, that's all.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: I kinda missed writing it too. I promise that all they planned out is the cultural festival, it's just that there's something else.**

 **dArKSIDe iDoL H3lL: One question, is it "H3IL" or "H3lL", I can't differentiate. Anyway... hm... I could do that... let's see.**

 **makironiandhonks: You will all see soon enough.**

 **Rena Bodewig: I like my secrets here. And thanks, means a lot to hear someone say that. About the other story, I'll probably end it there. I probably won't make the possible bonus chapter. Not sure myself.**


	9. Chapter 9

When students started arriving, the Student Council began to tell them to go to their respective rooms and to listen to the announcement from the PA. Eri herself was at the gates, greeting the students and carefully explaining that there was something special happening today and for the rest of the week. Once the time the gates should be closed arrived, she took out her phone and dialed the other President.

"You good there?" She asked.

" _Yeah, I'm good. There are some absentees but they'll be dealt with later. I'll leave a note here if there are any latecomers_." Kei replied.

"Alright. I'll start to collect the students and take them to the school. It'll probably take me ten minutes or so." She informed him.

" _We'll go ahead then._ "

"That would probably be for the best." Eri said and then hung up. She then turned to Nozomi and the other Student Council members. "Tell everyone to gather in the courtyard and tell them to bring their things as well. We're going somewhere."

The other student council members didn't even know what was happening but followed Eri's orders nonetheless. After all, Principal Minami had told them to direct all questions and orders to Eri. Same went with Kei on the other side. The headmasters put their entire faith onto two high school students. They weren't going to disappoint.

Once everyone was gathered, Eri stated, "We are going to another school. Everything will be explained there." That was the only thing she said and then she gestured for everyone to follow. She led the way towards the unused school building.

On the way, Muse could hear multiple whispers from the other girls. No one knew what was happening besides them. They knew that they shouldn't just speak up and they left it to Eri to explain everything once they got there. Well technically, they didn't know all the details either so they wouldn't have much to say.

When they got there, Kei was the one who met with them at the gates. Beyond him were the students of Amagiri, numbering to somewhere equal to Otonokizaka's number of students. They were all lined up and neatly organized. "Senpai." Kei greeted as he walked towards the blonde. "Come on." He said, grabbing her hand. It seems that he was in a hurry, well, they were going to give a speech.

"Nozomi, I'll leave the organizing up to you. Let the Student Council members stay up front and some at the back to make sure that everyone's organized alright?" Eri ordered as she looked at her byzantium haired friend. True to what Kei said, the two had made up once they saw each other.

"Alright. Go for it Eri-chi." Nozomi said before turning to the students and began to organize them into lines based on their school years.

"Ah, Shu-kun, Reito-kun~" Rin said. Their line was right beside theirs so they managed to see each other. Pure luck I suppose. "Hey~"

"Heyo Rin." Reifu greeted.

"Seems they're finally announcing it." Shun said before looking at the quickly but effectively made stage in front. Two podiums were present and they assumed it was for the two presidents who would step on stage any minute now.

"I'm pretty excited for it." Rin said, practically bouncing on her seat. "Working together and making a cultural festival sounds fun~"

"Yeah, thanks for summing up our whole speech Hoshizora-san." The orange haired girl then looked at the stage where Eri and Kei stood, the latter with a grin on his face. Most of the students looked at Rin and then girl actually sunk further into her seat, a blush across her face.

"Kei." Eri looked at her fellow president. She looked quite serious and it was obvious that she was silently scolding him.

"Senpai." He replied but Eri simply looked at him. He then chuckled. "Alright, alright, I'll stop."

The blonde nodded. "Good."

Someone then raised her hand. A student of Otonokizaka stood up after being noticed by the two presidents. "You two know each other?"

"Yes." "Lucky huh?"

"Anyway, let's get onto our main topic." Kei said, taking a turn for the serious. "I know all of you are wondering why the hell are both students of Otonokizaka and Amagari here." He stated and the others murmured in agreement. "We're thinking… no, it was already decided. We will be making a cultural festival. Together. Two schools, together, making a cultural festival, here." He said. "Questions so far?"

Another student raised a hand. This time, it was from Amagiri. "What brought this on kaichou? We never did this before."

"We want for both students to enhance their ability to interact with other people outside of their current community, our schools. Both schools are not co-ed and we just want to train you guys in interacting and working with the opposite sex whom you have never met before." Eri replied. "Try thinking like this is a working environment. Just a little training."

The student seemed satisfied with this and sat down, prompting Kei to continue explaining. "That's basically it. We'll be holding a two day cultural festival. Apologies for the very short span of time but we will be holding it, this Saturday and Sunday." Most of the student body gasped at it. That was so short! "It is mostly because Eri-senpai is stepping down that we needed to hurry up. It was just accepted yesterday."

"But classes and-"

"For this week, starting today, there will be no classes. The headmasters said it themselves. We will focus all of our attention to this cultural festival." Kei said, cutting the girl off. "That's why today, you'll be sent to one classroom each and then we start brainstorming for the cultural festival. This whole school building is yours to command. We'll all split you into groups and the rooms are on a first come, first serve basis. Just find out what room you want and pass it to us."

The blonde added something as well. "Please try and work with your groupmates, or well now classmates, at the best of your abilities. I know you all just met today but you practically have the whole day to get to know each other."

"Honestly, it didn't take us that long for me and Eri-senpai to be well-acquainted. I'm sure you all could do it as well." Kei said. "And as a reminder, Amagiri students." He said, looking at the half of the student body which were male. "I know you all remember what were thought to us. Good manners and respect." He then looked at Eri. "Let's try and not repeat what happened before with our predecessors."

The blonde nodded. "Well then, we'll start combining your classes then." She said with a smile before the two removed themselves from the stage and headed towards everyone.

Eri started to take point from there while Kei was explaining more details to the other Student Council members that were not informed of everything about the cultural festival including the additional guards and other stuff like that. He easily interacted with the members from Otonokizaka, making them feel more comfortable around him. It was a small trick he managed to catch from business classes with father. His father may have been intimidating but he knows how to make people 'comfortable' before striking them when they're vulnerable. A dirty tactic huh?

Eri, on the other hand, used the more direct approach. She held the authority in the two. After all, they knew their places. Kei was the planner and Eri was the executor. But even when she held that kind of authority and a seemingly cold front, the students somehow feel calmer with her around and do as what they are told with not so much as a negative comment towards her.

They had assigned each class to build one stall and one main event. And now, after talking for a while, multiple students were sent towards the building to scout the best place they could get.

"Well, everything's going better than I first expected." Kei said as he sat down with Eri who was currently waiting for the forms. "Don't you agree?"

"Yeah. I first expected that they won't even talk with each other." The blonde admitted. "Never expected them to hit off right after they meet each other."

"I personally think that's better for us." Kei said. "We shouldn't have worried too much. They must've come from co-ed schools before they entered our schools right? So they must've had some experience just like you and me."

"But there are some who came from an all-girls' school. There are several in ours." Eri said. "How about you?"

Kei shook his head. "Nope, all of them came from co-ed elementary schools." He replied. "Well, let's just see how well they can all work together. There's still the hurdle of being almost complete strangers. Hopefully they would be able to become friends and make plans on this very same day."

"Now that's a hurdle." Eri said. "It took us… a month? To make this plan for some reason. Probably our fear because of that."

"Yeah and…" Kei trailed off as someone approached them.

"Uhm, is the Student Council going to put up a stall too?" The female asked. Behind her, the two student councils have gathered with the exception of Eri, Nozomi and Kei. "I mean, since there are a lot of us, we think we can pull it off."

Kei looked at his fellow president and then smiled at the girl. "True, we can do that. But Eri and I will be extremely busy in the actual Cultural Festival, given that we don't have the headmasters overseeing the whole thing."

"So, we're going to let you, girls and guys, think of something that can represent the Student Council." Eri continued. "Of course, we're going to have to pull out some members too, to help out with patrolling but I'm sure we have enough members to still run a small stall."

The red haired male called another member of the Student Council. He then placed a fist on the other male's chest. "I'm expecting you to lead the stall along with whoever Eri-senpai chooses for the female bracket. You can keep them in check Silver-senpai." He told the silver haired teen.

"Roger that kaichou." Silver said. Kei removed his hand from the person's chest and then looked at Eri.

"Then I'll appoint you, Yui, to be the representative. You were the one who came to us with the idea."

The brown haired girl, Yui, nodded and then looked at Silver. "Well, I hope we don't screw up." She told the male as they started to walk away.

SIlver chuckled. "Don't think so. We're student council members aren't we? We won't disappoint."

Kei and Eri nodded at each other. Soon after that, multiple people came up, requesting their place. Multiple people had the same place so some had to repeatedly do rounds to get a good location. Nozomi had also returned to report that the multiple groups have moved into their designated/chosen classrooms to discuss what they had in mind.

* * *

The first year's classroom was silent as they entered and sat down, all fitting. They then looked at each other, finding out who would want to speak up or try to lead. Having no teachers around can sometimes be a real pain in the back it seems. But as the presidents said earlier, they had to deal with it themselves.

Finally, someone did speak and surprisingly, it was none other than their resident mangaka, Reifu. He stood up and looked at the others. "Why not start a vote for what we want to do for the Cultural Festival? That's what we always do right?"

"Then the class representatives of both schools would be our leaders." Maki suggested, giving out her two cents. "I heard both got into this group while the other got help from other student council members. I think this is precisely the reason why they placed you two in the class." Of course Kei had to divulge information to Maki before she went to the classroom. She didn't point out who their class rep was and no one else seemed to point out who the other was either. They needed to stand by themselves if they wanted to lead.

The two had a point. It was their best shot and thinking logically, that was what should happen. Two pairs of eyes started to look around, apprehensive, reluctant, hesitating. Metal scraped wood as a girl with black hair stood up. She was still looking down at her desk and said with a shaky breath, "I… I'm the first year's class rep. I came from an all-girl's school before so I don't exactly know how to cooperate well with guys." She admitted. "I'm Orimoto Chiisaki."

"Then I'll do my best to help you." A male with blond hair said as he stood up from his seat. "Wakamine Ryu's the name. I was chosen to become class rep because our class's smartest became the class pres." He said. "So by major vote, I became one but I'm not really sure what I should do."

"You just say that Ryu. You've been an awesome class rep!" A male cheered on. "Even kaichou told us to rely on you to make the right decisions."

"And you can work with almost anybody Chii-chan." A female said, looking at the black haired class rep. "Besides, we're all in this together right?"

The class cheered the two apprehensive class representatives. The two looked at each other and nodded, reaching an understanding. The two walked towards the front of the class before picking up a new chalk. Ryu took point from there. "So, suggestions everyone? What do you guys want to do for the cultural festival?" He then looked outside. "We don't have much time, the others might get our ideas. So come on guys!"

Chiisaki was the first to suggest. "How about the usual maid cafe?" She suggested from behind the male representative. "It's very famous among the students and a lot of people go to one."

"I agree!" A female said. "And why not make it a maid and butler cafe? We have some pretty good looking guys here after all." She said with a grin as she looked at the guys at the other half of the class. Some nudged the ones beside them and the others smiled at her comment. Well it wasn't everyday that you get complimented by a pretty girl who you just met.

"Write that down then Orimoto-san." Ryu said and the other representative nodded and wrote down the suggestion.

"Horror house!" A male exclaimed. Chiisaki wrote that down as well.

"Magic show?" A female suggested, unsure about her suggestion too. Chiisaki smiled at the one who suggested and wrote it down as Ryu nodded. That person was actually very shy but knew a lot about magic.

Kei suddenly opened the door. "Uh… Maki-chan, Hoshizaora-san, Koizumi-san… Shun, Reifu, come." He ordered.

"Kaichou." Ryu said before the red haired president looked at him. "Is there something you need from them?"

"As they are part of Muse and the other two are part-time student council helpers, yes I need for something." Kei replied. "Special event." He continued, seeing those two words would explain it all.

"I see." Ryu then turned to the five and then gestured them to go with Kei. "See you five soon." He said with a smile.

They did as they were told and quickly shuffled outside. Kei then led them towards an open field where Eri was waiting. On the way, Rin asked, "Were we going to perform or something?"

"I suppose that is the best idea." Kei said. "But Eri-senpai still hasn't decided. She thinks it's too soon after the whole defeat in the Love Live…"

"And you had to remind us that why?" Maki asked as she glared at Kei who just chuckled in response.

"Actually, you guys did a pretty good job." The red haired male admitted as they continued down the hallway. "For a school idol group to rise through the ranks when you guys just started is very impressive."

Maki nodded. "True."

"Wait!" Rin exclaimed and the two looked at her. "Takamitsu-kun's a fan?" She asked.

"Fan is stretching it a little." Kei admitted. "I started watching you guys because I heard Maki-chan here was with an idol group. From there I started to follow you guys 'till now."

"Sounds like a fan to me kaichou." Shun said with a smirk. "But don't you also watch A-Rise? That idol group in UTX?"

The three girls looked at Shun as they all continued walking, shocked at the revelation. So Kei was watching idol groups and was a supporter of the greatest school idol group currently. "Uh… yeah, I do." He replied. "But it's more out of because I have a friend there…"

"You mean Kira Tsubasa?" Maki asked.

"How'd you know?" Kei replied.

"Father told me that the Takamitsu is actually business partners with the Kira family." Maki replied with a small shrug. "No surprise there though."

Hanayo suddenly gripped Kei's arm causing him to stop and look at her. "Y-You know Tsubasa-san?"

"Personally? Yeah." Kei replied. "But we're more like acquaintances than anything."

"You're so lucky!" Hanayo exclaimed. "A lot of school idol fans want to meet even a single member!"

Kei chuckled. "I suppose I am. Although there's nothing too special about Tsubasa. She's a school idol and the daughter of an oil tycoon. Normal in my eyes."

"Your sense of normalcy astounds me." Maki said with a twitch of her mouth, indicating that she found it amusing.

Kei just smiled and then they continued to walk once more. "I guess you'll meet Tsubasa soon given that you girls are part of the school idol community. I mean, those three aren't snobs nor are they hard to approach. They're pretty cool." He then looked up, thinking of something. "Maybe I can do something to get them to meet you." He said with a grin as he looked at Hanayo.

"That would be great!" Hanayo exclaimed, overjoyed at the idea of meeting her idol.

"How many connections do you have kaichou?" Reifu asked. "You even know the owner of the publishing company where I send my manga to."

"My family is a business family, of course we need to have a lot of connections. A lot of partners means a lot of opportunities to garner more money." Unexpectedly, it was Maki who replied. "That's what you're going to say isn't it Kei?"

The red haired teen laughed. "Yep! That's exactly what I was going to say!"

The three were astounded about how well the two know each other. Well enough to answer their personal questions which something who are just normal childhood friends don't normally do. Reifu wasn't at all surprised since he half-expected that these two were very, very close friends.

"My father even thought of buying UTX too!" Kei said with a big grin. "But then the chairman managed to beat my father in a chess game so they just stayed as partners."

"You're too rich Takamitsu!" Shun and Rin practically shouted at him. They both have their reasons and that was because he was flaunting how rich he was without even realizing it.

"You're born rich. You can practically do whatever you want and buy whatever you want with it." Shun said.

Kei and Maki looked at each other and the former chuckled. "You really think that huh? I guess most people would when faced with me." He said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Actually I have to earn everything now. When I was 10, my father refused to give me money unless I earn my pay." He pointed out.

"Your father is making you work?" Hanayo asked. Now that was illegal. After all, legal working age was 15 and he was already working at 10.

"Not really 'working' for him. More like training with pay." Kei replied.

"That is working." Maki pointed out. "But then again, you do need this very much."

"As you say, my father doesn't want me to be some stuck-up rich kid who goes around flaunting my parents' fortune everywhere." Kei continued. "I flaunt around my hard earned cash. The only things I probably don't pay for is my driver, my butler and the food served at home. Everything else is on me."

"Oh." The others replied in chorus. "But how exactly do you earn your money?" Rin asked.

Kei stopped in front of the gazebo where Eri and Nico sat. He waltzed inside and then plopped down beside the blonde haired president. He looked at them and then raised a finger in front of his mouth signalling that the unanswered question will remain unanswered. "Where's Toujou-senpai and the others?" He asked. The first years sat down on the chairs laid out within the big gazebo.

"I think she's still fetching for them." Eri replied. "If I know Honoka, she must be suggesting a lot of things right now."

Soon after that, Nozomi and the others came into view. They all sat down but they first marveled on how big the gazebo was. To accommodate twelve bodies and still have space for more people to sit down. Such an extravagant place was bestowed upon the Academy in its earlier days. The school building was only a few meters out so this was a frequent place for some students to meet and eat their lunch.

"So what are we going to talk about?" Honoka asked to start the conversation.

"I asked Eri-senpai if you guys could perform live on the cultural festival." Kei replied, now opting to take a seat on the thick railing rather than a normal chair. "I know you guys are just fresh out of the Love Live but…"

"Couldn't you just ask A-Rise to do it?"

Unexpectedly, Maki was the one who said it. She looked overall unaffected by the whole Love Live but she could definitely feel the sudden mood change within the group.

Kei ruffled his own hair. "You know I can't do that." He replied. "This would also be the perfect chance to spread your influence as school idols right?"

"Actually, we don't need it." Honoka said calmly. "After all, there's no more Love Live." She continued. "So I'm very sorry Takamitsu-kun but we're not going to do it."

"I guess I can't do anything about that. Just thought that maybe having you guys sing would be fun for everyone." Kei said as he looked down. "Alrighty then. I'll just ask our band to perform. Thanks anyway." He continued as he looked at Muse with a sad smile on his face. It was obviously forced and it was painfully obvious that he was unhappy.

Eri looked at him and then back at the girls. "I'm sorry to have taken you out of your rooms." She then looked at Shun and Reifu who had remained silent as they didn't know what was happening. They did just recently find out about Muse. "And to you as well. You may all go back now."

They all looked at each other and then left, leaving the two presidents again. Now, Kei was just lying down on the thick railing while Eri just sat in silence. A few moments later, the blonde spoke, "You're not giving up are you?"

Kei raised the necklace around his neck. A small gold pendant was its design. He smiled softly as he aligned it in his sights. "When did I ever?" He asked.

"You embrace death so easily, willing to give up your life without trying to fight for it…" Eri started. "But ironically, you never seem to want to give up on anything in life. You are a weird kid Kei."

The red haired teen let go of his pendant and then sat up quickly. "I get that a lot." He said with a grin before jumping off the railing. "Now how can I convince you all to perform? I wouldn't want to bribe you guys."

"Not that it would work."

"Exactly." Kei said. "So how… how does one convince another to sing on stage?" He muttered to himself, contemplating and weighing his decisions. "Eh, I suppose I'll leave it up to you guys. Just a little push and a little more perseverance and I'm sure you girls will break."

The blonde president giggled, a hand over her mouth to hide it. "I knew you gave up too easily for it to be realistic. I'm actually excited to see how you will manage to convince them today."

"I'm kind of tight on time but… I already planted seeds of guilt." Kei said.

"And you're relaying me your 'plan' even though I'm part of Muse… why?" Eri asked.

"'Cause I know you want to do it too." The red haired teen replied. "Perform I mean. You all do. You're just stuck in the past right? I mean, I know how that feels." He muttered the last part and then looked out to the school building. "But I'm gonna get to that after they discuss everything. Won't want to disturb them again."

Eri stood up and then walked out of the gazebo. "Well if you don't mind, I am going to walk around."

"Got it senpai!" Kei said with a mock salute. "See you later!"

* * *

The first years were done planning. They were going to make the usual maid cafe (with butlers) with the blends coming from different countries. They were also going to have a magician perform on specific hours and they have two magicians there, one being the girl who suggested it, Urumachi Yayoi, and Reifu. The latter had found out many tricks in being a magician so he could use those for reference in his manga.

They were dismissed early since some were assigned to collect materials, plan the costumes and estimate the cost overall. Rin, Hanayo and Maki were chosen to research some special blends known in other countries and see if they can incorporate it into the cafe. Shun, on the other hand, was assigned to go with the designing group to be one of their models.

Reifu wasn't assigned to do anything but to talk with Yayoi on what magic tricks they would use. It was over fairly quickly considering that both didn't have much to talk about. They could simply just improvise and while their props were many, it wasn't too hard to procure. After thirty minutes of listing down the props, the two parted ways with Yayoi going to the class representatives to pass it. The blue haired male started to walk down the halls as he had nothing else to do at the moment.

Voices could be heard from inside the rooms with each class discussing what to do. It was probably in its late stages right now and it will probably be over soon. Tomorrow, they needed to prepare a lot of things like signages and things like that. He had also heard that some clubs wanted to perform onstage while merging with the other school's clubs.

Reifu found himself at the school entrance and then looked around. He could just imagine how packed this place would be with all the stalls and people who would come. Their previous Cultural Festival proved to be quite a hit and he heard that the Otonokizaka was the same as well so it wouldn't take a sharp mind to know that everything will get busier than ever.

"Alone?" Nozomi approached the lone first year at the entrance. "Are you done with the planning already?" The blue haired teen looked back and nodded. "I see. But what are you doing right now? You don't seem to have a destination in mind."

"I don't…" Reifu replied. "I've done my part. I was planning on going straight home but I have to wait for Shun and the others."

"I see." The byzantium haired girl replied before looking off into the horizon. The sun was still up but it was slowly setting every passing moment.

"I was wondering earlier senpai but why didn't you agree with Kei-kaichou? It's just a performance right?" Reifu asked.

"Well actually, we became school idols for the sake of our school, to prevent it from closing down. We succeeded but we couldn't enter the Love Live prelims because Honoka-chan fainted. Most of us are still stuck at that moment and doesn't want to perform." Nozomi replied.

"I find that shallow." Reifu said, being his brutally honest self.

Nozomi smiled, a little sad, but she knew it was the truth. "True. But we're pretty sensitive to those kinds of things you know?"

"I suppose girls are more sensitive when it comes to the kinds of things that they put their minds into." Reifu continued. "How about you To… Nozomi, do you want to perform?"

"Of course I do." Nozomi replied.

"Then why not try to convince the others as well?" Reifu asked.

Nozomi smiled. "I think all they need to do is just a push and something tells me that a certain wind is going to give it to them."

"I'll be doing a magic show in the Maid Cafe so be sure to drop by." The blue haired teen said before leaving with a wave. He was headed inside the school again to see if anyone needed his help.

"I will." Nozomi replied before going around the school once more.

* * *

Quick footsteps could be heard, quickly travelling from one place to another, transferring multiple things in the course of the run. It was Shun being ordered to deliver some files to the Student Council Room and then the other rooms. He had been taken out of his room to become a helper for the Student Council again. He didn't mind though.

He had pretty quick reflexes so he managed to dodge the incoming people to avoid bumping into them at full speed. But maybe the author shall rephrase that, he managed to dodge almost all the incoming people since when he turned to a corner, a loud thud emitted from that place.

On the ground was a black haired girl. "A-Ah, Yazawa-senpai! Sorry, I truly am sorry!" Shun exclaimed as he extended his hand for her to get.

"Ow…" Nico muttered before snapping her head up and glaring at the person who bumped into her. When she saw that it was Shun holding a bunch of files, she sighed and then accepted his hand. "What's the hurry anyway? If you weren't running like that, it wouldn't have happened." She said as she dusted herself off.

"I'm delivering files for the SC." Shun replied as he gestured to the files underneath his arm.

"I see." Nico said. "I'll go with you then. You're heading towards the third year room right?" She guessed.

"Yeah." Shun replied.

"Perfect. I was actually going to the Student Council for the written briefing." Nico said before pointing at the papers. "I think that's what you're holding."

"Yeah it is." The brown haired male replied before starting to walk again. "Hey senpai, why didn't you guys accept Kei-kaichou's request? He's probably bummed out about it right now."

Nico shrugged. "I don't know what's going on in their minds! Letting a little failure get to them like that!" She said, obviously angry. "I wanted to agree right away but Maki beat me to it!" She continued, crossing her arms.

"You really want to do it huh senpai?" Shun said with a light chuckle. "I want to see you guys do it too. I mean, it would be our first time seeing you guys do a live show. That and it would attract a lot of attention to our Cultural Festival."

"I know, that's why I'm going to call all of them tonight to convince them. There are only a few days before the festival and we need a new song!" Nico exclaimed.

"That much work in four days?" Shun asked. "Won't that be a little hard?"

Nico just grinned at him. "Do you believe in miracles?"

Shun smiled and then they continued on to the third year classrooms. "Well I hope yo see you on the stage on Saturday." He said as he passed on the files to Nico.

"You will."

* * *

It was nearing nighttime and Kei and Maki were walking home together. Why? By mere coincidence… not. Shun and Reifu was ordered to keep Rin and Hanayo from walking home with Maki so she and Kei could talk. The second years left earlier than them since they still had to go around to find anything for their horror house. The third years were also told of Kei's plan so they didn't go home just yet.

There was an awkward silence that hung above them with only their footsteps being heard and the occasional car passing by. Kei placed both of his arms behind his head. "You still angry?" He asked.

"Why would I be?"

"Yeah, why you would?" Kei said with a shrug. "I mean, what you did say is true. Why not get A-Rise to do it? They are way better and more experienced than you." He was ranting but all of it was fake. "The band would also sound better than a bunch of amateur school idols jumping around in costumes. I mean, you didn't even get to the prelims while our band got in the finals!"

Manipulation. So simple to do and Kei was used to it. And now he was using it against the very same person he cared for as a best friend. Maki looked at him. "Oh? So why invite us in the first place?" She asked.

"Just to give you a fighting chance against A-Rise. This place would be jampacked with people so it would be good advertising!" Kei replied. "But then again, I wasn't thinking it through. I doubt you guys would succeed on overcoming A-Rise, the best school idols currently." His tone was so condescending… so believable…

And so annoying to her ears. "I'll show you Kei!" She exclaimed as she stopped. "Muse is going to perform and you'll see that we're going to please all of the fans!" She continued before stomping alone leaving Kei astounded.

Or so she thought. He was smirking. Once she was out of sight, he laughed out loud. "Oh man… she really is stubborn and prideful. I can't believe she fell for that." He said to himself before continuing to walk towards his home alone.

 **Four days until Cultural Festival. One week until Eri steps down from Presidency.**

* * *

 **A/N: Another month huh? Seems I won't be able to post it on Valentine's… Oh well. So how have you guys been?**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: Nozomi is pretty interesting to write but it's actually pretty hard to write her since she's pretty mysterious. I'm glad that you think I did a great job. And about the big secret… soon.**

 **Rena Bodewig: Don't worry. I'll stop mentioning the big secret and you'll just find out soon… probably in the next few chapters.**


	10. Chapter 10

The next day came up and most of the students had brought multiple things and some were even making costumes in a room located inside the school. The two schools' students mingled together and blended with each other. Some are still awkward but they managed to get over it and talk with the others as well. In all honesty, the whole Cultural Festival thing was just an extra push in their motives to talk with each other but they might get along even without it appearing.

As for Muse, they had all gathered once more with the three Amagiri students. "Why are we all meeting? I thought we turned him down?" Honoka asked as she looked at her fellow members with a bewildered look on her face.

"We're going to do it Honoka." Maki said as she crossed her arms and sent a quick glare at Kei who was sitting down on the same place he did yesterday.

"Yeah!" Nico exclaimed, for once agreeing with the red haired female she always bickered with. "I really want to do it! I don't know why you're stuck in the past when you can just go forward. Besides, this is our Cultural Festival so we have to do all we can to help it." She continued, adding more reason to just 'I want to do it'. It was actually a valid reason.

"And besides, this would be the first and probably the last time Shu-kun and Reito will see us perform live~" Rin added. "So I want to do it as well." Kei looked gratefully at the two first years who apparently did their assigned roles despite not knowing of his plan.

Honoka looked around and found that most of them actually wanted to perform, for one reason or another. She then nodded and then looked at Kei. "Alright, then we accept." She said with a smile.

They all cheered until Eri cleared her throat and caught everyone's attention. "I don't want to ruin the parade but I would like to point out that we have at least four days before the cultural festival and we still don't have anything planned out." She pointed out. "We need a new song, clothing, dance steps…"

"Well technically this is a moment where the two schools can work with each other." The red haired president said before smirking. "So I think that we can help you with all of those things."

"But how? You're not a school idol group…" Nico pointed out.

"Shun here knows how to dance. Reifu knows how to play the piano and work on the melody. I, myself, can write lyrics." Kei replied. "We may not know your style but we can at least help."

"I've heard Reifu-kun play the piano… he's really good at it." Hanayo pointed out.

"I have learned how to play the piano when I was a child because of my cousin." The blue haired teen said. "And I've made melodies before so I can help."

"And Shu-kun may not look like it but he's a real dancer!" Rin exclaimed.

Shun looked at them and then rubbed the back of his head. "A-Actually, I'm more of a hip-hop and pop dancer so I don't think it would fit…" He pointed out. "Because considering your kind of dancing style, mine is pretty different."

"We can make something work." The blonde president said with an encouraging smile. "We might not get to incorporate all of your steps but we can get ideas from them. Just like how Kei and Sato-kun would give ideas. It's not like you have to make the choreography on your own."

Shun nodded, now filled with determination to help his friends. "Alright, I'll do it."

"But who will help Kotori-chan with the costumes?" Honoka asked before gesturing to the ash gray haired female who kept silent this whole time.

"With all things considered, even I'm not up to the task." Reifu said. He was a mangaka and he made a living out of drawing people and their matching costumes. Admitting that he can't do it means that Shun and Kei can't as well. "Perhaps you can ask other girls to help you? You see, I am not skilled with my hands."

"Given how busy everyone is, I doubt anyone would have the time to help Mina-chan." Kei pointed out.

Kotori shook her head. "No, I don't need help. Working with another school actually gives me more inspiration to make costumes. I just need Nico-chan to help me make the actual costumes. Designing it should be easy." She said with confidence.

"Well since everything seems fine. Let's start now shall we?" Eri suggested before looking at Kei and Umi. "I entrust the making of lyrics to you two."

The red haired president sent a mock salute towards Umi's way. "I'll try my best to help you Sonoda-senpai." He said.

"Alright, while they're making the lyrics, the others should go back to their rooms to help their respective classes. Maki and Sato-kun will go to the music room to try and think of a melody." Eri ordered. "That's all there is. Let's all do our best." She said and everyone cheered and dispersed.

* * *

Kei and Umi holed up in the an unused room looking over to the practice grounds to try and think of some lyrics although there wasn't much to go with. They don't have a source of inspiration nor do they have any ideas on what to actually write about.

"Ideas… ideas…" Kei muttered to himself continuously before leaning back on his chair. "How about this? I ask a question and you answer?" He asked as he looked at Umi. "Then I'll answer the same question and then you ask another after."

"That sounds like a great way to think of something." Umi said before gesturing for him to start.

"What is your 'treasure'?" Kei asked.

"My dreams." Umi replied. "It is what keeps me going even though there are hardships."

"Nice." Kei said. " For me, it has to be everyone's smiles. It hurts me to see when someone is sad and my mood brightens when I see someone smile. It means that they've accomplished something right?"

"Alright." Umi said. Both were actually jotting the other's answer. "Hm… what do you think we need to do to attain these treasures?"

"I think we should just have fun with what we do. After all, we only become passionate if we actually want to do something and if we want to do something, we have fun while doing it. Just let go of all those bad things in your mind and just go for it." Kei replied. "A little cliche answer but that's what I think."

"Cliche or not, it's a good answer." Umi said with a smile. "As for me, I think it just needs a little courage to actually push yourself to do something you want. We can also use our frustrations to make it positive and then you're all set." She continued.

"That's pretty interesting…" Kei said as he nodded in agreement. He then looked at the notes and then tilted his head. "Hm…" He then started to write on a paper and Umi waited for him to finish. "Look at this. Does it look good?"

He then handed the paper to Umi.

 _Ima koko de mitsuketa takaramono_

 _Takusan da ne sou da ne minna no egao sa_

 _Koko de mitsuketa takaramono_

 _Afure souna yume tachi motto motto misete_

"I think it's actually pretty good." Umi said before looking over her notes as well. "We can add more to it just by using what we have right now…"

Kei nodded. "I think so too…"

The two started to write their own lyrics and then combine it with the other's. This lyric writing session did not only yield a good song but it also made the two students know more about the other. The questions were not very personal but it gave some insight on the kind of person they were.

"And done." Kei said before placing the pen and paper on the table. Both he and Umi had their own copies of the song. "I think it's pretty good, pretty meaningful."

The blue haired student nodded. "I like it as well. I think it would go well with the cheery atmosphere of the festival."

"Or start it." Kei said and Umi looked at him. "The performance is going to be held after the opening ceremony or in other words, right after my speech. It's the main reason why Eri-senpai isn't going to be speaking with me." He explained before standing up with the paper with the lyrics on it and then heading towards the door and then waiting for Umi.

"I see, I see." Umi said before following Kei and made their way to the music room.

* * *

Reifu and Maki were at the piano. The latter was sitting down while the former was behind her as they tried to create a melody together. It wouldn't be the one they would use since they needed the lyrics. Kei and Umi had arrived and left the lyrics in their hands before leaving once more. Kei had to help with the Student Council and Umi had to go back to Honoka and Kotori to see if they needed any help.

Maki pressed key after key, trying to see if anything fits. After pressing about ten keys, her hands left the piano and onto the seat. "Why can't I feel it today?" She muttered to herself as she looked up.

Reifu took a step to her side. "Perhaps it was too sudden or perhaps you finally realized that you were tricked by Kei-kaichou into forcing the others to agree to the deal as well." He said before taking a seat beside her after she moved.

Maki blushed as she looked away. "I can't believe I actually fell for it." She might be blushing either because of embarrassment because she fell into his trap or anger because he actually created a trap meant for her which focused on her weak point. "I'll definitely make a come back." She muttered but it wasn't quiet enough for Reifu to not hear her.

"I'm sure that Kei-kaichou doesn't show many openings." Reifu said and Maki nodded. "But you can catch him off guard with your willingness to perform even with knowing the fact that you were tricked into agreeing. He knows you're frustrated so why not turn your frustrations to your advantage?" He continued before starting to press seemingly random keys to make a beautiful melody.

Maki eyed the lyrics. "So you already managed to incorporate the lyrics into something important huh?" She said before watching his fingers fluently move from key to key. It was as if she was studying his capabilities in creating a song.

Although there was a smile on her face as the sounds rung out of the piano, mixing together perfectly and pumping out beautiful music. The sound abruptly stopped, much to Maki's shock, and Reifu looked at her. "I'm sure I've had enough freestyle. I think it's about time you started on making the song. Just keep playing and I'll write the notes." He said as he picked up a pen and paper and proceeded to sit himself on another chair.

Connecting yourself with the meaning of the song makes a beautiful melody. It's the same thing as feeling the song so you can actually sing it well. She started to play the piano, key after key, slowly but surely she started to form an actual melody to accompany the lyrics that was made by Kei and Umi.

"Call Umi and Kei." Maki said, almost silently as she continued playing, a soft smile on her face. "I want to hear them sing it while I play."

Reifu nodded before he stood up. They were done but they needed to hear it to make sure that it actually fits. Then she'd have to make the computer-generated music for it. Although it didn't seem that she minded it. After all, she had done it all before and she would gladly do it again.

When the two came, they all sang together, their voices actually mixing well with each other. WIth Reifu's slightly deep tone and Kei's normal tone combined with Umi's deep voice and Maki's cool voice, they actually make a good singing group.

With both the lyrics and the melody done, they quickly took off for the Student Council room where Shun and Eri was. Umi and Reifu headed for Kotori though so she could see the lyrics and think of a good costume for them. They then started to record it, with only Umi and Maki seeing as to not confuse Eri and Shun with the different tone.

* * *

"Eh? Senpai was a ballerina before?" Shun asked. Both were sitting down on the chairs, doing nothing in particular. They finished everything to do for the moment and Shun didn't need to deliver anything right now.

"I was back in Russia." Eri replied, smiling at the surprised expression on Shun's face.

"I should've known. Senpai's body frame actually fits a ballerina's." He pointed out. "But why did you stop?"

Eri smiled sadly as she recollected her younger days. "I… wasn't the best ballerina out there. I barely passed the exams so I quit."

Shun regretted he even asked about it so he tried to redirect the subject matter to another way. "So how is your grandmother in Russia?"

The girl's face brightened up as he heard talk about her grandmother. "She's doing fine actually last time I heard. Mother and father are living with her right now actually."

"You live alone?"

Eri shook her head. "I live with my sister, Arisa. My parents visit from time to time but they usually stay in Russia."

"Ooh, you have a sister. Does she attend Otonokizaka as well?" The brown haired teen asked out of curiosity.

"She's a year younger than you Katanashi-kun. Although she wants to try to get into Otonokizaka as well." The blonde replied.

Before Shun could comment, however, Maki and Kei entered the student council room. "We're done~"

"Really?" Eri looked at them, disbelief in her eyes. "That was actually pretty quick. It isn't even the end of the day yet…"

"Well if you have two brains thinking, you would actually finish everything quickly don't you think senpai?" Kei said before dropping the lyrics on the desk in front of Eri and then patting Maki's back, a proud smile on his face. "Anyway, I leave the singing to you Maki-chan. I need to go do something real quick… or maybe not. See you guys later." He said before leaving all of them.

The three watched as the energetic president bounded off to who knows where. They then turned their attention to the lyrics and then Shun and Eri turned to Maki. "We were tight on schedule so that my have played a part in helping us do it faster."

Eri grabbed hold of the paper with the lyrics on it and Shun peeked over her shoulder to read. "Looks good. Mind if we hear the music?"

The red haired teen handed her the recording which was on her phone. Eri and Shun listened to the music. "Sounds cheery. I can definitely make some moves out of this." Shun said confidently. They took off the earphones and Eri handed the phone back to Maki.

"Sounds good Maki." Eri said with a nod.

Maki nodded back. "Thanks, couldn't have done it as quickly if it wasn't for Sato-kun though." She admitted, putting her pride down for now. She then looked at Shun. "Well come on, let's head back to the room."

"Uh, right!" Shun said as he hopped off of his seat and then headed for Maki. "See you tomorrow then senpai. From the look of the lyrics, I think I can think of something. I'll show you tomorrow." He said with a smile and wave before the two first years left the room.

* * *

"We managed to make the song in one day. Only the dance steps and costumes remain so I think we're doing pretty good." Kei said as he walked beside Eri. They were walking back home. There had been many applications of clubs doing exhibition matches with each other since they wanted to see how good the other was, practically making the two presidents drown in papers. It took them a while and now it was evening and they just exited the building.

Nozomi had gone ahead with everyone else by the order of Eri. The violet haired teen had her suspicions on what the two would talk about, which was that secret, but she knew they would tell her eventually so she hesitantly agreed.

"Everyone will begin practicing the song tomorrow." The blonde said. "I heard that Kotori has made the designs and are making the costumes right now as we speak with Nico and Hanayo." She continued. "It's just the dance steps to worry about and we have all day tomorrow to make it. Hopefully, we could practice it tomorrow as well." She admitted. She wasn't doubting her skill nor was she doubting Shun's skill in the art of dancing but sometimes, thinking of steps would need more than one day.

"So you do have everything planned. That's good, that's good." Kei said as he nodded in approval. "But remember, try not to push yourself too hard. The festival's just around the corner and we wouldn't want you girls getting sick because you didn't get enough rest." He pointed out as he crossed his arms.

"I know that fully well and I've reminded them to be careful. We wouldn't want this to end up like the last live." Eri said. Everyone still remembers how much Honoka pushed herself last time causing her to get sick and pass out while performing. She then looked back at Kei. "Aren't you guys going to do anything special?"

"We have our light music club but they won't be performing at the opening tomorrow, unlike you guys." The red haired president replied. "But I will be performing with Maki." He continued. "Originally, I was planning to do it alone but playing the violin is always more fun when there's a piano accompanying you."

"Ah so it's going to be a recital?" Eri asked as she looked back at the road they were going through. "I had heard that most people nowadays doesn't actively seek out classical music."

"Yeah, they find it really boring." Kei said with a roll of his eyes. He never understood why the classics were boring. They were pleasing to the ears unlike the more powerful music created nowadays. But then again, those were his preference because of his synaesthesia. He then smirked as he pumped his fist forward. "But I'll make them enjoy our piece. So much that they would want to hear it over and over again." He proclaimed. A brave proclamation, Eri thought, but if one had this much passion for something, it was understandable.

"I'll personally be looking forward to it then. I haven't really heard Maki play a classical piece before so this should be interesting." Eri said with a nod. "And seeing you play the violin should be an experience." She continued.

"It'll be lots of fun." Kei said. "I promise." After all, he had another thing up his sleeve. He had discussed this with Maki beforehand and she agreed, finding it a good time to show their talent once more to the outside world. Three years have passed since their last recital but they knew they still have it in them to perform.

The two stopped when they saw two familiar faces. It was Principal Minami and Principal Terasaka. Both stood at the end of the street. It was as if they were waiting for the two presidents. The younger pair closed in on them and stopped a good meter away.

"Pretty late to be going home now isn't it?" Principal Terasaka said.

"Considering the amount of work dumped onto us, I think it is understandable." Kei retorted as he looked at the two principals.

"We're planning to announce it after the cultural festival." Principal Minami stated making the two practically jump up in surprise.

"Right after the festival?" Kei asked in disbelief.

"Of course not." Principal Minami said. "I will give you a week, Ayase-san, after you step down to tell the next president about it. Once that week is over, I will announce to everyone about it."

Eri held her tongue, swallowing the remaining anger in her. She didn't want this at all but it has already been written and she could do nothing about it. They even made preparations for it. "Yes ma'am." Was the only thing she could muster.

"Good." Principal Minami said. She could see that both presidents were still against it. She sighed and then turned around and continued out with Principal Terasaka. "Remember, this was and still is the only way to save the school." She reminded her before completely leaving.

Kei took in a deep breath and let it all out. Anger wasn't good for his heart. "Well, she does have a point Eri-senpai. It's the only way to save your school." He pointed out as he looked at Eri.

The blonde clenched her fists and spoke through grit teeth. "I guess."

Kei patted her shoulder. "It's not like I wanted it too in the first place." He then took a step back. "But I've learned to accept it. You should too."

"We did so much to try and save the school."

"And you did."

"But not the way we wanted for it to be saved." She continued.

"True. You gave it your all but you didn't make the quota right?" Kei said. "Or well to be more specific, even with the success of your open day and the reconsideration… you guys still didn't make it. Disappointing, yes, but it is the truth."

Eri gripped her left arm and then let out a deep breath. "Just a few more days." She muttered. "And we'll finally be free of keeping this secret."

"I don't know which is worse, sharing it with others or keeping it inside." The red haired president admitted. He then smiled at Eri. "But come on, you can't show that face in front of everyone. You gotta smile and you still have those steps to worry about."

"How do you even keep that attitude?" Eri asked.

"Don't think about it. Focus on the things that you need to solve right away. This is a problem we cannot solve anymore so I started to think of other things." Kei replied before stepping ahead as they continued to walk down the street.

* * *

Kotori was alone in her room making the rest of the costumes. Nico and Hanayo had already gone home because it was late at night. She happily continued her work. She brought one of the costumes up. It was a cheerleader outfit showing one's midriff. "It's so cute~" She was sure it was cute. The only problem was actually getting Umi to wear it but she'll leave that up to the others.

She had gotten the idea after seeing their cheerleading group and Amagiri's cheerleading group. After studying the lyrics for a while, she knew it was somehow cheering for the people to find their treasures and so a cheerleader seemed like a good idea. She giggled to herself after imagining all of them on stage seeing the song.

Three knocks on the door interrupted her. She slowly stood up and headed for the door. She opened it and revealed her mother on the other side. "Okaa-san, did you need something?" The last time she went to her room directly was to ask if she really was sure if she was going to a foreign country to study.

"Kotori, I need to tell you something." The older ash grey haired woman said. "May I come in?" She continued.

"Of course!" Kotori said before standing aside to let her mother in and the latter did and took a seat on a chair. Kotori then closed the door and then sat down on her bed. "So what did you want to talk about Okaa-san?"

The principal looked down. "It's about the school… and what Takamitsu-kun and Ayase-san are hiding." She said. "I figured that as my daughter, you have the right to know before the others but in turn, you must keep it a secret as well. You must not tell anyone and you must only talk about it when either I or the presidents are there."

"Is that what you told them?" Kotori asked.

"Regrettably, yes. Principal Terasaka was the one who came up with the idea to keep it a secret." Principal Minami said. "Do you want to hear it and share the same burden for a week?"

Kotori looked at her mother unsurely before nodding. "I want to know." Despite being one of those who said that they should leave them alone and they will tell them at the right time, she was still curious. Like the others, she wanted to know why they held the festival and why they met so frequently. Even for planning the festival, it shouldn't take too many meetings as shown with the introduction day where they all planned in a single day.

Her mother started to talk, to explain everything that had transpired under the noses of the students, and Kotori listened, not saying a word. She was surprised, yes, and very, very against the idea but before she could retort, her mother said it.

"What has already been written, cannot be changed." The principal then stood up and left the room, leaving Kotori to think.

The ash gray haired girl sat there, her thoughts being processed. Everything was running through her head. Her mother looked easy when she announced that the school was being closed then how could she do this? Why would she even do it? Was it because they showed effort to save the school that it gave her the hope and idea to save it as well?

She looked back at the unfinished costumes and found no interest to continue it at that time. She could always finish it later on as long as it was before the performance. Kotori immediately went to bed and slept. She had to ask them tomorrow. Ask them why the things are the way there are right now. And how they could allow such a thing to happen.

 **Three days until the Cultural Festival. Six days until Eri steps down from presidency.**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, I actually didn't take a month to make this. Cool.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: From those lyrics and costume I pumped out earlier, I think you can guess.**

 **ja669543: 'Course not, can't really leave this story till I finish it. Cultural festivals you mean? Yeah I feel 'ya.**

 **Rena Bodewig: OTP, where? And yes, it is coming and so is the big reveal. Might timeskip to the start as well so it will be here soon.**


	11. Chapter 11

Perhaps it was his growing feelings for her or maybe it was just the heat but lately, Shun couldn't be with Maki for so long without blushing because of small contact like the brushing of their shoulders and momentary eye contact. HIs heart beated so fast that he felt like he had just ran a marathon before coming in contact with her. The brown haired male wasn't sure when he started to develop feelings nor was he sure that this wasn't some puppy love. He definitely did not want to act on something as petty as puppy love.

When did he start thinking about it though? Ever since yesterday. When both left for their classroom, they walked side by side. He had started making small talk with Maki replying every now and then. That was when he noticed that every time she smiled or laughed, his heart fluttered and he found himself with a small blush on his face. When Maki questioned it, he merely shrugged it off as the heat getting to him and he would be fine after he drank water.

After that, he went straight home and fell asleep. He woke up very early and he just can't go back to sleep. He had busied himself with using his laptop but his mind kept drifting to Maki and how much he admired her. He would then convince himself that he had no chance with a proper girl like Maki considering his family backgrounds and how much it differs from hers but then he would contradict, thinking that the red haired girl wouldn't mind being with a person like him. But then again there was the matter if she did accept his love and they'd go on dates and he can't even pay for much because of his meager allowance...

"I can't take this anymore!" Shun exclaimed as he ruffled his own hair and dropped his laptop on his bed. He would then curse himself for yelling so loudly as the guy next door might get mad at him again. His eyes would go to the clock beside his bed and it clearly read 4:30 and that was very, very early. He wouldn't be needed to report to the school until 7:30 so he had nothing to do. Sleep won't come to him and thinking about his feelings only confused him further.

"But what can I do?" He muttered to himself as he stood up and went for a quick shower. Might as well jog outside. Jogging very early might not be his hobby but it sometimes helps him clear his mind of any doubts and find a clear answer. He put on some casual clothing and then exited his door, making sure to lock it and have his keys and left.

He set down his planned road. His path was going straight from the apartment, towards the park, make a round at the park and then come back to the apartment. At early hours of the morning, multiple bad presences were around but he was confident that some old people were already out so he wouldn't be in too much trouble. You know, in hypothesis.

The wind rushed against his face as he jogged and the only thing he could hear was his foot hitting the cold pavement. Okay, alright, he was regulating his breath quite well so he's far from tired.

First, he had to arrange his feelings. Is it real? Or is it just a crush? He was no stranger to having crushes. Admittedly, he had a crush on Hanayo when they were kids but that feeling was different from what he felt right now. So he can say that he has fallen head over heels for Maki. "That's embarrassing to admit to yourself though." He thought, his face coloring itself with a pink hue.

Second, he had to find out if he really has the guts to actually confess these feelings to her. He had many doubts earlier because of his financial status. He's barely going by with what little allowance he could get from his parents. Not only did he have to pay for rent but he needed to pay for his food as well and he's already saving money as it is. Maybe he can push through or maybe he can get a part-time job… after all, his school doesn't forbid students from getting a part-time job. "I can help around the convenience store…"

Alright, he knew he has feelings and he knows he can do something about the difference in financial status. Maki didn't seem like one to think of the other's financial status anyway. She might be rich but it doesn't mean she looks at the riches of one person.

Oh wait, he forgot one important thing. He slowed down to a stop as he reached the park and when that thought came across his mind.

"Her parents…" Her mother was out going from what he saw but he can't be too sure with her father. Maybe… he can ask Kei right? There won't be any harm from it right? He nodded, boosting his resolve. He then continued jogging.

His mind then directed itself to another course. "The steps!" He exclaimed to himself and he almost tripped as he did so. He managed to keep his balance and then straight out ran towards his apartment. He came back and then stumbled inside. He looked at the time. Good, there were still 2 hours to spare. He then leaned back on his bed as he took out his phone, put on the earphones and then played the song.

He stood up and kept repeating the song over and over again. He let the music control his movements. After an hour, he dropped down, panting with sweat dripping from his forehead. "I'm so tired…" He muttered to himself. He rolled himself so his back was the one on the ground and he was facing the ceiling. "But at least I managed to think of something. I just hope they can modify it to fit their style." He continued. He then forced himself up and then headed towards the shower to bathe.

* * *

"Shu-kun isn't with you today?" The cat-girl asked as she saw Reifu walking down the street alone.

"And you're not with Hanayo because…" Reifu asked back as he reached where Rin was standing. "Shun said that he'll be a little late so I should go on ahead." He finally replied to his question before patting Rin's head. "Good morning."

Rin looked like a cat who was being petted by her owner as Reifu patted her. She nodded. "Good morning!" She exclaimed before stepping back a little. "Kayo-chin went on ahead to help Kotori-chan with the costumes." She replied with her usual cat grin.

"I see." Reifu then walked forward with Rin beside him. They fell silent as they headed for the school grounds. This result was to be expected. When all four went with each other, only Shun and Rin talked with each other and the only reason he and Hanayo talked was because they were asked a question directly. Reifu could confidently say that they were all best friends but he wasn't as close as Shun was to them. He wanted to stay silent. She wanted to say something.

"So when will you act on your feelings?"

But it went the other way around. Reifu was the one who spoke and it was quite a sensitive question. His tone was still normal and he never looked at her when he said those things.

"What are you talking about Reito~" Rin asked with a small nervous chuckle. "I don't-"

"Stop denying it Rin." Reifu said, voice heavy as he looked at her. "You're hurting yourself and that is painfully obvious to me and Hanayo."

Rin practically shrunk as he looked at her. "I can't. If he doesn't like me, then that means our friendship will be ruined."

"Shallow." Reifu said, his tone can be described as harsh but it was still his normal tone of voice. "He's not that kind of person. Confess and if he rejects, he'll go back to normal." He continued with a shrug. "There's absolutely nothing to lose."

Rin gripped the clothing over her chest. "The Cultural Festival." She said in a hushed town.

"Hm?"

"I'll confess at the Cultural Festival."

Reifu finally cracked the smallest of smiles and then placed a hand on Rin's head. "Do your best." He said before they continued walking.

* * *

Eri and Shun were at the rooftop of the school. The blonde had wanted to practice there out of habit and Shun didn't say anything to contradict her. WIth them was the red haired president of Amagiri; he had nothing to contribute but he was so bored out of his mind alone in the SC room that he just decided to watch them.

"Hm… not bad Shun." Eri admitted as she watched Shun go over the whole song. "But don't you think it's too fast?"

"Yeah I was thinking about that as well. I thought that maybe you can modify it to fit your style." Shun said with a nod, fully expecting the reply. "I took into consideration the current condition too so I went with what I think a cheerleader-like movement."

"I think it's great actually. So maybe we can do this…" Eri said before starting to dance as they played the music. The two went on for a while, suggesting their ideas back and forth and sometimes asking the third party, Kei, for some feedback to which he replied with what he thinks. There were some points were none of the three could reach a decision and ends up creating a whole new step. After about two hours, they had finally finished the whole song.

"Alright, let's take a break. Come back at 10 and we'll start teaching the others about the steps." Eri said as she packed things up. "I'll see you two later." Eri said before departing.

Shun sat down under the shade of the stairwell. Kei went near him and sat down. "Tired?" The latter asked as examined the brown haired boy's condition.

"A little."

"Well at least you were able to help." Kei then leaned on the stairwell. "Say, I'll buy you lunch later as a thank you for helping out. I kinda forced it onto you and Reifu so I might as well right?" He said with a grin.

Shun chuckled. "I know that you're not taking a 'no' for an answer. Will Rei be joining us as well?" He asked.

"Of course!" Kei replied. "Anything you two want."

"I'll gladly accept the offer then kaichou!"

"That's the spirit!"

"I have a question though." Shun said, his voice lowering making the president curious. "What's Nishikino-san's father like?"

"Eh? What's with that question. You sound like…" Kei trailed off before grinning. "You like her don't 'ya and you're asking 'bout her father because you want to know if he'd accept 'ya or not."

Shun blushed out of control. "N-No that's not…" He couldn't even try to defend himself at this point. He knew Kei wouldn't stop.

"Don't worry man. I won't tell." Kei said. "Maki-chan's father is a little… no, really strict. He's the head of the NIshikino hospitals so there's nothing else to expect. He's strict, busy but he does love Maki-chan very much. For you… well if she loves you then her father would probably accept you." He said. "You know, in theory."

"Ugh, I'm getting more nervous because of her father." Shun said as he leaned his head back on the wall.

"Well if you have confidence in yourself, he'll probably come to accept you." Kei said. "I don't really see him very much nowadays… scratch that, I don't even see him when I was a kid. Sure, he's sometimes here and there but the only one who is always present is Maki's mother."

"Really? He has a lot of influence in Maki's life right?" Shun suspected.

Kei nodded. "It's the main reason why she has to be a doctor."

"Has?"

"It runs in the family." Kei said. "Remember how I need to succeed my father when he dies? You know, if I don't die earlier than him." Shun nodded. "Well this is technically the same. Once she grows older, Maki will be the new owner of the Nishikino hospitals."

"That's a pretty heavy burden to put on a single person." Shun said. He could never relate to that. His parents just wanted him to finish school and get some decent earning job. That's all they could ever ask for. Right now, Shun admittedly still doesn't know what he wants to be. On one hand, he wants to be a graphic artist while on the other, he could potentially become a lawyer. Weighing those two was all he could ever worry about. He had one thing that Maki didn't apparently, and that was freedom to choose her future.

"It's what was placed on her father's shoulders anyways." The red haired president pointed out. "So maybe, if you really do like her, you'd want to support her. Chase your own dreams while walking with the great Nishikino heiress. Support her when she's breaking down, fight for her if the time comes… and I assure you, she'll do the same." He said before standing up and stretching. "Well, that's everything I can tell you. See 'ya later." He said with a two finger wave and then left.

Shun waved goodbye to their president before leaning back. Oh, here comes the doubt again. Maybe he should avoid her for now? After the practice, it would be alright if he wouldn't see her right? Sure, they'd be in the same classroom but only up to that. Hardening his resolve, he cheered himself. "Avoid Nishikino-san at all costs then." He said. He had to make up his mind already and being around Maki certainly made his mind a lot hazier than it should be.

* * *

It wouldn't be too soon until the rest of Muse finally came. Oddly enough, both Reifu and Kei were out of sight leaving Shun to be the only male there. He was far from awkward though, engaging in conversations with Hanayo and Rin, occasionally with Kotori and Honoka as well. He had found out the he got along with most of them quite well even though they all just met a few months back. Scratch that, a month back.

Eri would start the lessons with the same routine they've been doing for practice. As Muse stretched, Shun was at the shade watching them with his arms crossed. A small smile was present on his face. His eyes didn't land on Maki… or well it did but he made a habit of redirecting his gaze to somewhere else.

"Alright Katanashi, mind helping me out now?" Eri asked, snapping out of his reverie.

"Ah, right!" Shun said before jogging out of the safety of the shade and into the unforgiving sun. He looked at Eri, unsure where to start. The latter chuckled before teaching the others the first steps and then Shun followed suit, teaching them about the more complex yet easy to do steps that he thought up and revised to fit the idol atmosphere. "Er, you guys got it?"

When he turned around, the crew seemed more tired than before with the exception of Umi, Eri and Rin. "A-Are you guys alright?" He asked. He seemed to be in pristine condition even after the whole training and the time spent before.

"It's a little bit faster and harder than what we're used to." Honoka pointed out as she sat down. Some other followed suit.

Eri nodded. "That is true so you all can take a break first." The others scrambled towards the shade and to the supply of water.

"Is it because of your ballerina training that you're not as tired as them right now?" Shun asked as he looked at the blonde haired girl beside him who didn't look like she was out of breath.

"Yes. I've built up more stamina than them. Same goes for Umi and Rin over there." Eri said before gesturing towards the aforementioned two who was talking to the rest of Muse. "It's a nice change of pace though. They've never tried cheerleading too."

"If you weren't a school idol group, we could do tosses and lifting." Shun pointed out. "But I think sticking with dancing is the best option right now." He admitted with a soft chuckle.

"You've been on cheerleading before?" Umi asked out of curiosity as she approached the two.

Shun shook his head. "Nah, I just saw some in television. We don't exactly want a cheerleading group made up of all boys you know."

"It could work." Eri said.

"Uh…" Shun rubbed the back of his head. "Not really. Besides, we don't need a cheerleading group here."

"Now, now, if you guys have time to chat, I think you guys have time to practice." A male's voice pitched in and they turned to the door. It seems Kei and Reifu had arrived, both holding a box filled with clothing.

"The costumes!" Kotori exclaimed before scrambling up and towards the two males. "I can't believe you two finished it!"

"Well it was only two more costumes." Reifu said before he and Kei placed the box near the entrance. "It wasn't quite hard to do after watching the three of you work you know?"

"Hey, Reifu, maybe we should start our own sewing company." Kei suggested jokingly as he nudged his blue haired friend.

"Hm… that wouldn't be too bad."

"I wasn't serious…"

Some cracked a smile while the others hid their giggles behind their hands at the two. "Alright girls, let's go back to practice. Kei, Sato-kun, you can sit down and watch if you want. Let's look at the costumes later when we're alone." She said before looking at the three boys who were present.

"Hai!"

They soon finished and were dismissed. And so Shun's objective of avoiding Maki has begun. With a quick farewell to the others, he immediately departed the area. Well, avoiding her is impossible considering they're in the same class but he would do his best to not be alone with her.

But fate just wouldn't have it.

"Ah Shun, can you bring these papers to the Student Council?" Ryu said as he placed his hand on a mound of papers.

"Sure." Shun said before standing up and heading towards their class rep.

"Nishikino-san." Chiisaki called out, almost making Shun freeze and he pleaded in his head that she won't ask her to accompany him.

"Yes?" Maki asked as she turned her head towards the girl.

"Can you please accompany Katanashi-kun to the Student Council? There are two mounds so I think it would need two people and considering that you two seem to be friends…" Chiisaki said, trailing off at the end of the sentence.

"Sure." Maki said before standing up and then taking one pile for herself while Shun took the other. "We'll be right back."

The two then exited the room and then both headed for the SC room where Kei and Eri are probably just talking. Shun didn't talk for the duration of the walk making Maki suspicious of the other's behavior.

"Is there something wrong Katanashi?" Maki asked as she turned her head towards the male walking with her.

"Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing." The brown haired teen replied with a forced grin on his face and Maki wasn't too dense to not catch it.

"You're lying."

"Eh?"

"If you can see through me, then I can see through you as well." Maki pointed out before turning right.

Shun sighed as he continued to follow. Of course. "Really, it's nothing. Just… I just have to tell you something at the Cultural Festival."

Maki looked at him with a curious look on her face. "Why wait?"

"I still have to work on it." Shun said with a nervous chuckle.

She held a frown on her face, obviously unpleased by his excuse, but she let it slide. Not everyone was as confident as her or as smooth as Kei or as blunt as Reifu. "About the Cultural Festival, Kei and I are going to do something so you better look forward to it." She said.

"That sounded more like an order more than anything." Shun said before they reached the SC room.

"Ha! Got you now!"

"Check again idiot."

"How did-"

"You got too caught up in your plan that you failed to notice my movement."

There the two presidents sat, the red haired male smirking and the blonde haired female staring right at the board game. It was chess and Kei was currently holding the White King piece, Eri's piece. "Checkmate." He said.

Eri sighed as she leaned back to her chair, defeated. "You win, again."

"I didn't think you would lose so easily senpai. Perhaps you're better in shogi than chess?" Kei suggested as he started to collect and rearrange the chess pieces on their appropriate places.

"No, you're just pretty good at these kinds of games." The blonde pointed out.

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table with a smirk on his face. "Well if you want I can give you-" Kei cut himself off as he finally noticed the two first years who were standing at the door, seemingly watching them end their chess game. "Ah, Maki-chan, Shun! What are you two doing here?" He asked as he leaned back to his original position.

"Progress report." Shun said. "And finance report." He said before placing the papers on the table and Maki did the same. "I think there are some other things in there but I'm not so sure."

"Ah thank you. You were the only one who haven't passed their yet." Eri said as she stood up and headed towards the pile of papers. "Kei, you take the finance, I'll deal with the others."

"Roger that." Kei said before standing up and then taking a bundle for himself. He then looked at Shun before beckoning him to go to him. Shun nodded and did as was told. "Can you help me arrange these?" He asked, a stupid grin on his face.

Shun's initial shock was replaced with a smile on his face. "Whatever you say kaichou." He said before sitting down and then started arranging the papers.

"Does this happen a lot of times for him to get used to it?" Eri asked as she sat down as well and started working on the rest of the reports.

"Kimuri-senpai doesn't come to school very often." Shun said. "And he's the vice-president so kaichou shoulders all of the troubles. Rei and I help around because of that."

"Tachibana's a sick kid, in both mind and body." Kei said as he rolled his eyes. "It was a miracle that he was named vice president anyway."

"But they won't vote a sick student right? The student body I mean." Eri reasoned.

Kei smiled and shook his head. "Wrong. We don't run to get a position; we compete for it." He said before scribbling some things down. "You apply for it, wait for the tourney and then do your best. A tactical mind can get you through anything and that's what you need when you want to get into the Student Council."

"But really, all tests are different. A president's test is a simulation of a student rally, a vice president's test has something to do with a president going AWOL, and so on." Shun said. "Reifu and I took on the disciplinary test but it wasn't easy."

"Yeah, with that normal build, I don't think you're built for it." The red haired president said with a chuckle. "You need to stop two gangs from fighting each other. It's either diplomacy or have them absolutely fear you." He then smirked. "Good thing you took the former or else you would've failed."

"Katanashi-kun's in the student council? Then why…" Maki asked. She fully knew that Shun didn't concern himself with student council matters.

"Well… we became more like liaison officers more than anything." Shun said with a shrug. "Why do you think I was always the one they came to to send files to the SC? Why do you think Reifu seems to disappear most of the time?"

Kei grinned. "Sorry 'bout that. There haven't been much disturbances inside the school you know? It's not like we have gangs or anything."

"That might be true but it still doesn't justify why we're liaison officers." Reifu entered along with Nozomi.

"What? I'm the president! And you know just how important that is in a hierarchical school." Kei pointed out.

"Your school sounds like something from the medieval ages…" Eri commented as she continued on with the paperworks.

"Well anyway, here's a letter from the principal." Reifu said before dropping the mail on the desk where the rest of the paperworks were.

"And I'm here to help." Nozomi said as she claimed the seat in front of her Russian friend and started to go through the paperwork as well.

Maki waved her hand. "It seems I have nothing to do here anymore. I'll head home then."

"I'll head home with her then." Reifu said, always the gentleman. He then waved as well and the two departed after everyone said their respective farewells.

 **Two days until the Cultural Festival. Five Days until Eri finally steps down from presidency.**

* * *

 **N/A: Another month huh? I blame tests and projects. I planned to release this earlier but I always get stuck in the middle… Sorry 'bout that.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: Uh… it's something like that…**

 **ja669543: Eh, you'll find out. And honestly, Takaramonozu is one of my most liked songs and I did have to get a cheery non-love song for them.**


	12. Chapter 12

Another day has dawned upon them yet again and this was the last day before their beloved Cultural Festival that everyone has been hyped for. Not only the students but the outsiders as well. The Student Council trio actually kept themselves busy soon after the students started to plan things. They left school with a pile of flyers just waiting to be distributed and pasted at the designated places where they already had permission from. Of course they would be excited. This was the first time they've ever seen a collaboration between the two heated schools, and they were both exclusive schools to boot.

The day was filled with excitement, happiness mixed with a little bit of stress. Someone had a pretty opposite mood to everyone though and, surprisingly, it was none other than their happy go lucky president, Kei. He seemed bummed out and only returned a greeting from one of the students with a silent nod as opposed to his energetic greeting back then. He was in a very foul mood and some who sometimes greeted him feared to even look him at the eyes.

"It's rare to see you like this Taka-kun." He could recognize that high-pitched voice anywhere and with the matching nickname, it wasn't too hard to guess who was talking behind him. Kotori had advanced towards his side to look at him curiously. "Bad mood, bad vibes, it isn't like you." She continued.

"It's Tachibana. I heard he's back here and I really don't want to meet him right now unless I want to scream at him." Kei replied as he continued to walk while massaging his temples. The mere thought of him being here gave him a headache… no, headache is an understatement, perhaps migraine was a better word to use but without the whole vomiting thing. But it was close.

"Who's he?" Kotori asked as she tilted her head to the side to further show her confusion. She kept in pace with the faster walking person and unlike before, he didn't slow down so it would be more comfortable for the other party.

"The Vice President of Amagiri." Kei replied. "Tachibana Kimuri is the kind of guy you wouldn't want in a place of power." He continued. "He hasn't even been to a student council meeting before… well, that's exaggerating, more like he came twice and everyone got pissed off but his cool and smooth demeanor wins him back most of the Council besides me and the first years."

"If he's such a horrible member, then why not kick him out? I'm sure you'll have no trouble replacing him." Kotori pointed out.

Kei shook his head. "No one else passed the test. We're each suited to our job, one change and we'll all be thrown into disarray."

Kotori could just reply with a nervous chuckle after that. She didn't know much about how their Student Council works.

"Where are Kousaka-senpai and Sonoda-senpai anyway?" Kei asked, directing the conversation to another direction to somewhat alleviate his current mood.

"Honoka-chan and Umi-chan had to go and buy something earlier and told me to go on ahead." The gray haired girl replied. "I wanted to come with them but they told me that I can't." She continued, a bit of a pout forming on her face.

"Now that I think about it…" Kei muttered to himself. _Tomorrow's September 12 isn't it? Isn't that?_ He looked secretly at Kotori who had a wide smile on her face. _Ah, now I get it. They must be getting her a present or something. I don't wanna spoil it right now so I'll just keep quiet about that._ "Now what's got you so happy?" He asked, his tone reverting back to fit his foul mood.

"The orders for the costumes are coming in this day. I'm so excited to see how well they made it!" Kotori said as she clapped her hands excitedly.

 _You mean to say she's not excited about her own birthday?_ "A-Aren't you forgetting something a little important that you should be happy about?" Kei asked.

Kotori shook her head before humming in pure joy as she walked forward.

"Of course! It was my master plan after all!"

The very sound of that voice seemed to anger Kei a lot. The color was green, a sick green that made Kei want to vomit a little from seeing it coming out of that man's mouth. Kotori looked back to see him breathing in and breathing out huge quantities of air, possibly to calm himself. The ash-gray haired girl started to look for the owner of the voice.

He wasn't at all hard to find. In the middle of a crowd of guys and some girls from Otonokizaka was a tall figure. He had blond hair and blue eyes, much like Eri, but from his name, he doesn't seem to be of foreign descent. He was slender and pale; or in other words, he looked sickly. He had a proud smile plastered on his face. "Really Tachibana-senpai? I thought the presidents were-"

"You know how the Takamitsu family always tries to steal other people's ideas." Kimuri said cooly. "I worked hard on this everyday for the past few months and I have grown more weakly because of it. So I ask you all to do your best for my sake."

"Of course Kimuri-senpai!" The chorused, easily falling to the wicked man's lies. No one could see through it, not when you're so amazed by a sick person. Truly, a man of his caliber was frightening. Kei could sway hearts but he played with the mind of a person, making him more despicable than what a Takamitsu is.

"I won't stand for this." Comes a female voice from behind the group. Everyone scattered leaving Kimuri alone in the middle, his smile almost breaking as he saw who was talking. Her red hair and unamused face couldn't be mistaken for any other.

"N-N-Nishikino-san…" Kimuri started. It was the first time Kei heard that kind of stammer and he took pleasure in it, no matter how evil it sounded.

She began to take methodical steps towards the senior who almost shrank away from her presence. After all, who wouldn't be scared of the heiress of the hospital which constantly kept you alive? "I would've stood idly by while you boast about this plan. But taking it for yourself when both Eri and Kei worked so hard for it pissed me off but I would've just kept silent and tell that to the two." She stopped in front of him, staring right into his eyes. She had to look up but it didn't make her look at all any smaller than him. In fact, it looked like quite the opposite. "But then you just had to say something about the Takamatsu family."

"I-I was just-"

"Just what? Trying to degrade a proud family into nothing through lies and slander? Is that how the Tachibana works?" Maki asked. Most were astounded at her harsh words. "Would you like-"

"Maki-chan!" Kotori blurted out making the red head stop and looked at her friend who was silently watching beside the president being talked about. She was shaking, her eyes glossy. "P-Please don't fight."

Maki stepped back and sighed. "I know that Kei can't do anything to you." She said, lowering her voice so only the sickly man in front of her could hear. "But I can certainly do something to you." She continued. The threat weighed heavily upon the man, his face shocked and fearful.

The panther had sunk its teeth on its prey. But although it has let it go, the prey would live in constant agony knowing that the panther could strike back at any moment, this time finishing him off for good.

"None of this shall leave this school." Kei ordered, looking at the students observing, shocked and somewhat energized by the fight. "I ask your cooperation in this. Now please go back to your respective rooms and continue your last minute touches."

The students scampered away, not wanting to face the wrath of an angry Kei should they disobey. Kimuri had left with the crowd at some point but the president couldn't care less. Maki approached them and then looked at Kotori who was close to tears. "I'm sorry." She said, almost silently but certainly could be heard by Kotori.

"You had to see a very horrible side of our upbringings." Maki continued, looking away in shame. For the first time, she had willingly stepped down. It pained her to see her friend at the verge of tears like this.

"You were just trying to protect your best friend Maki-chan." Kotori said, rubbing her eyes to remove the tears that have not yet fallen. "I-I just don't want to see you angry anymore."

"Angry?"

The word seemed to have shocked both Maki and Kei. Yes, she admitted that she was pissed off but her tone passed it off as simply protecting another. That was what it seemed to the students except for Kei, who knew her longer than most, and apparently, Kotori.

"Pfft…" Then a sudden burst of laughter followed. It erupted from the once foul mooded Kei who now seems like his old self again. He stopped after a while. "That's why I like you Kotori." The sudden drop of nickname caught her by surprise. "You can be so perceptive yet so clueless at the same time!"

Kotori blushed under his… compliment? Insult? She wasn't so sure herself.

Kei took a deep breath and let it out, his smile now present and the heavy atmosphere around him lifted. "Thanks for that by the way Maki-chan. Haven't seen him that scared before. It was really pleasing."

"The least I can do."

"And Kotori, thanks for stopping Maki-chan before she could say anything that would degrade her name because I was sure that last one was a threat." Kei said. "And you were about to say it out loud, right?" He asked, looking straight at Maki who looked away.

"I heard something weird happened here!" Eri exclaimed as she neared their position quickly along with Nozomi. "What happened?"

Kei looked at Maki and Kotori and then shook his head. "I'll tell you later." He said before leaving his position to meet the other president halfway. He then turned back to the two. "You two should get back to your rooms. Maki-chan, tell Shun and Reifu to head to the SC room since I have something to tell them alright?"

Maki nodded and both she and Kotori departed.

"You wouldn't believe what happened."

* * *

Two figures slid the door room to the second years, opening it and they entered. Everyone's attention was on them. It was Shun and Reifu holding what seems to be a box. "We have orders from the Student Council President!" He said and then placed the box on the table before tapping it two times. "You'll have to surrender your phones because we have to check and possibly delete things."

"H-Hey! That's a breach of our privacy!" A female's voice called out.

"We won't be looking at any messages." Reifu said. "Just videos and recordings."

"Oh and please remove the locks on your phones if you don't want the entire memory to be wiped or hacked." Shun warned before leaning back on the blackboard that was plastered on the wall.

"I'm not comfortable with this…"

"I don't want them to have free access on my phone…"

"Katanashi-kun?" Kotori called out as she stood up.

"Yes?"

"Is this about the incident earlier?" Shun nodded in response. Kotori then made her way towards the front and placed her phone gently inside the box. "When will you give it back?"

"Preferably after the hour passes." Reifu responded before nodding in appreciation. Honoka and Umi followed and then soon, everyone placed their phones inside the box.

"You better not delete anything else than what you're supposed to alright?" One of the guys said.

"Well if there is _that_ in your phone then we would be obliged to delete it Waranai-senpai." Shun said with a smile before taking the box and then bowing his head. "Thank you for your cooperation." They then left and then headed back to the Student Council classroom. This was the last box to be dropped off.

"As expected of Hoshizora-san…" Kei muttered as he began scrolling through Rin's phone. Something caught his eye earlier and he looked at the alarms. Tomorrow, she had this heart emoticon and then a 'Confess to Shu-kun!' on it. "She doesn't even seem to care if he would see this…"

"What are you looking at kaichou?" Shun asked as he looked over his shoulder to look at Rin's phone.

Kei locked the phone so quickly and placed it on the table so quickly that one could say he did it in Mach speed or something. "Nothing, just gotta speed things up you know?" He said before snatching another phone from the box to work on.

 _Ah that was close._ He stared at the Rin's phone and then went back to work. _This will be a very eventful cultural festival._

"Your mood is a far cry from what I heard you were earlier on." Eri said, seeing the president smile. At this point, the two first years were excused from the room and the other members would be in charge of bringing back the phones.

"Why wouldn't it?" Kei asked. "I had Maki-chan stand up for me, Tachibana run through the ground and now I think I found myself another show." He said before gesturing to Rin's phone. "And besides, Kotori's birthday is tomorrow right? I bet it'll be fun. I wanna throw her a huge birthday party but we're busy with cultural festival stuff so I'll settle for a gift."

"Oh yeah, Kotori's birthday is tomorrow huh?" Eri said. "I need to go shopping later. I'm going to have to ask Nozomi to accompany me later."

"Maybe I should tell the first years too in case they forgot." Kei said, shooting a disappointed look at his friend and co-worker.

"No need. I've just been busy, that's why I forgot. They probably remember it." Eri reassured him.

"Good point." He said before leaning back. "Tomorrow's the big day huh? Can't imagine it." He muttered to himself.

* * *

"Let's sleep here." A sudden proclamation, a sudden order, an unexpected owner. It was Reifu, their resident stoic person who doesn't seem to mind anything they were coming up with. So him suggesting, no, more like ordering, is very unlikely.

"We would need permission right?" Honoka asked. They had all went to the roof to watch Muse practice one last time before the big day.

Kei shook his head. "Not really. This is the ownership of my father and I'd just need to call him. Pretty sure he would agree to it."

"It doesn't seem like a bad idea." Honoka said, not thinking of the fact that there are three boys who would be staying with them.

"Not a bad idea?" Umi questioned before pointing at the trio of boys who were near them. "If you must know, there are girls and boys staying and… and…" She blushed at the thought of the scandal that might happen.

But everyone knew what she was thinking. A boy and a girl, alone at night, oh the scandalous possibilities that possessed. It was such a horrible thought but a possibility nonetheless and they were all pretty sure that Reifu knew about this yet still had the guts to suggest it.

"If you must know, we are still going to be sleeping in another room of course." Kei said. "And I am not romantically inclined with any of you in here." He continued but somewhere, he thought he might actually be lying about this one. But that just might be him.

"If you sneak in?"

"Then lock the doors."

"That is a good point."

"But teenage boys and girls hitting up on puberty are sleeping in the school." Kei continued, going back to the whole statement. He chuckled. "Interesting. Very interesting. If nothing happens, then nothing happens right?" There seemed to be a continuation to what he was going to say but he left that to their imaginations.

"I can live with that." Shun said. "Besides, I haven't slept in the school for a while and we still haven't placed all the banners yet. I can just send the others home and Reifu and I could take care of it."

"We could help too!" Rin suggested, all too eager to help her friends.

"I'll call father then." Kei said before taking his phone and then walking out of the room so he could talk with him privately.

"W-Wait, I haven't agreed to this yet!" Umi tried to call him back but he already closed the door and didn't seem to listen even if he heard her.

"Let it go Umi." Eri said as she placed a hand on the blue haired girl's shoulder. "Besides, they look excited about it." She said before pointing to the rest of the group.

The second years began to mingle with the first years and Nico decided to join as well, claiming something about having the best cooking ever to be tasted and that the boys were lucky that she would cook for them. Shun then took the turn of telling how he, Rin and Hanayo always had sleepovers when they were kids but couldn't have them now because they were teenagers and their parents wouldn't allow it.

"My father agreed to it so if guys could just go home, gather your stuff and head back here, that would be much appreciated." Kei said as he entered once more and everyone looked at him like they didn't realize that they needed to go back home. "Don't tell me you thought of staying here until tomorrow with nothing more than our uniforms… But you can just take a bath here. There's a public bath near here." He continued.

"Alright then. Let's all head back home and come back later." Eri said, already making time plans for later in the evening. "You should all be back before 7 pm so we can actually get something done. Mail me if you're not allowed to come alright?"

"Hai!"

* * *

Everyone had their stuff prepared and they were about to leave the school before they noticed that Reifu and Kei were still chilling out in a classroom.

"Aren't you going to go back home?" Nozomi asked as she neared the two.

"I already called Kazu to bring my stuff." Kei replied with a dismissing wave. "I'd rather not go back home to just go back here." He then grinned. "Perks of being a rich guy." He was prideful about that fact but somehow, he never seems to go over the top.

"I had Shun go to my apartment to get some stuff. He knows where it is." Reifu said. "We're staying back to hopefully do something productive."

"You know, hopefully." He said, grin never disappearing from his face.

"Alright, I'll tell the others then." Nozomi said before they bid farewell to each other and she headed downstairs.

"Where's Sato and Kei?" Maki asked as she saw Nozomi walk out of the school without the two aforementioned males.

"They won't be going home." Nozomi replied simply. "They wanted to get stuff done." She continued. "They probably did it so we would have more fun time."

"But what could Kei do?" The redhead muttered to herself, careful to not be heard. She wasn't sure if Kei would feel comfortable if other people knew about his condition without his permission.

They decided to all go home and go back early so they would be able to help out the two before they do something they might regret.

* * *

"Shun's planning on confessing tomorrow." Reifu said bluntly after they had all gone. He stood up and then took a banner that was neatly rolled up on the table. This was what they had to place in the entrance. Great. "Rin is as well."

Kei took the rest of the supplies needed to stick the banner onto the entrance. The metal rods were already there too so it was easier for him. "Oh? That seems interesting. Although I'm afraid the three would be conflicted for a while because of it."

Reifu took the lead. "I think so too." He admitted. "If Rin confesses before Shun, Shun wouldn't be able to confess to Maki. If Shun confesses first and Maki accepts then he would be afraid to turn Rin down. If Shun confesses first and Maki doesn't accept, then he might be in a state of utter shock and despair that he might end up hurting Rin's feelings or taking out that despair on her by accepting." He listed down the possible things that could happen tomorrow that could ruin their whole friendship. Well not ruin but complicate things for both Reifu and Hanayo.

"And if Rin doesn't confess?" Kei asked.

"What makes you think that she won't?"

"A possibility. A chance encounter. That's what I call it." Kei replied. "Shun confesses and Rin hears it. What would happen then? She won't say anything right?"

"I don't think she would do something like that." Reifu said before dropping the banner on the ground and then fetching the two metal poles. He lined them up and then let Kei do the rest. "She's not one to back down."

"Brave people still do back out if they know they lost a fight." Kei said. He knew that all too well thanks to experience. "She'll end up hurting a lot though."

"Well, that's how it is when one is caught up in a love triangle." Reifu said. "One person will need to sacrifice his or her feelings for the happiness of their beloved."

"As to expected from a mangaka." Kei said with a chuckle before he stood up and then took one metal pole and Reifu took the other. They forced the poles to stand up and then placed it near the entrance. They managed to secure it in place thanks to holes that the students did before they left. "But I don't think we should do anything special for them."

"I agree. Let them do their own mistakes tomorrow, the fateful day." Reifu said with a nod, obviously agreeing with his friend.

The red head nodded. "Tomorrow is the turning point of a lot of things." Kei then turned to Reifu and then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Principal Minami didn't hold her part of the bargain and told someone else about the secret so I think it would be fine to tell you too. You're good at keeping secrets, I know, so I trust you that you won't tell anyone else."

* * *

There was something wrong, somehow, when the others came back. Reifu and Kei were silently sitting, already done with the things they think that needed to be done. They weren't talking and Kei was as energetic as earlier. His stuff already came and he already changed into a white shirt and jogging pants, fit to be a sort of exercising costume and pajamas as well.

"Oh, welcome back guys." Kei said, flashing his signature grin and waving at them. "We're done with most of the preparations but if you have something to do for the performance or for your own classes, you can do it. Meanwhile, I'll just… yeah." He said before taking his bag and then leaving.

Rin looked at Maki. "What's up with him nya~?" Of course, everyone would be curious in his odd behavior. He seemed nervous about something and he didn't even give a valid reason to leave.

Maki shrugged, feigning ignorance. It seems Kei didn't want anyone to know about it but she suspected that Shun and Reifu knew. Somehow, she felt that Eri knew as well as Eri looked at him worriedly as he hurried off to the cafeteria most likely.

"Here you go Rei." Shun asked as he dropped a duffel bag in front of the silent blue haired male but he didn't have much response, not even a mutter of 'thanks'. "Hey, you alright?"

Reifu looked at him and then nodded. "Yeah. Thanks by the way." He said before standing up and then heading over to Kotori. "Minami-senpai, can I talk to you?"

Kotori looked at him and then nodded. "Sure." She then looked at Honoka and Umi. "See you later." She said with a smile before going off with Reifu to who knows where to talk about who knows what.

"Why is everyone acting so weird today?" Rin asked as she sat down on a table. "First off, Takamitsu-kun just ran off and then Kotori-chan and Reito began to talk. Is there something going on here that we're not aware of nya~?"

"Maybe it's just some surprise things. You know how Kei is." Maki said, trying to cover for her friend. "As for Kotori and Sato, I guess it had something to do with the costumes. Maybe some things were not properly made?"

"But Kotori-chan wouldn't go to Sato-kun for help with that. She would ask either me or Hanayo." Nico protested. "Do you know something Maki-chan?"

"Not particularly."

Before Nico could continue to pry and return to their regular banter, Kei came back, still holding his bag. "Yo." He greeted with a small wave. He then dumped the bag to one of the chairs and then slumped down.

"What were you up to?" Nico asked, snapping her attention to the red haired male.

Kei seemed to hesitate before opening his bag and then taking out the contents. What it was shocked most of those who were there who didn't know about his condition. There were fifteen bottles of medicine lined up neatly on the desk. This would've been normal if, perhaps, there were eight more people who owned it but it seemed that Kei was the only one taking it.

"I have cardiac arrhythmia." He started. "I know, I know, unfamiliar right? It's pretty rare they say and I would say ask Maki-chan about it but I think you'd just be confused of all the terms she'll be spouting. I know I was when I first heard of it." He jested before leaned back into his chair with everyone eagerly listening. "It practically means that my heart is weak, beats irregularly too. If I push myself too hard, my heart starts to beat quickly that could end with a 'heart flutter' or if worse comes to worse, a heart attack."

"T-That's horrible." Honoka said before covering her mouth, thinking that she insulted him.

Kei laughed. "Yes! Exactly! It's horrible!" He exclaimed, pointing at Honoka. She made a point. He then spread his arms out when he mentioned the last statement. "I'm constantly stressed yet I am cursed with this condition. Can't do much besides jogging too."

"And everytime he gets hit somewhere near his chest." Eri said, continuing his explanation. "He gets the same side effects."

"You knew about this Eri-chan?" Hanayo asked.

Eri nodded. "He told me somewhere around two months after we first talked." The blonde then gestured to the other president. "He almost had a heart attack on me one day."

"Wait that never happened."

"It's when we parted ways. I went back to look for you because I had one of the files with me and then I saw you on all fours. Before I could get to you, however, your butler came to pick you up."

"Oh, that one." Kei said before unconsciously rubbing his chest. "That was, by far, the worst timing ever."

"Why?" Rin asked. If he didn't know that Eri saw that, then why would that be the worst timing?

"Because Kotori of all people back then too. She was the one who ran to me after Kazu saw me." The red haired president replied, sighing as well. "Didn't want her to know." He said with a shrug. "Didn't want her to worry." He continued, but this time it was no more than a mumble. Emotional problems was one and he could always go to Kotori for that when she worked as a maid, but this type of problem? A personal and physical problem? That was out of the question.

Rin tilted her head. "I thought you haven't seen each other since she quit her job as a maid?"

"She didn't know that I knew about her seeing me." Kei replied. "She thought I was knocked out cold back then."

"I thought wrong then." Kotori said as she opened the door.

Kei smiled and nodded. He then leaned back and placed both of his hands behind his head. "But that's all in the past now~" He chimed. "So it's nothing to worry about." He then began to change the subject. "Anyway! You guys still have preparations to do right?"

Honoka nodded, reluctantly dropping the subject. "Come on Umi-chan, Kotori-chan, let's go and finish designing our room!"

"Kayo-chin, Maki-chan, Shu-kun, Reito~ Let's go nya~" Rin said as well, supporting Kei's decision of dropping the depressing subject. "We still need to arrange the tables and chairs right?"

Hanayo nodded. The second years and first years bid farewell and then left for their respective classrooms.

"What are you doing Yazawa-senpai?" Kei asked as he looked at the petite girl. "You're the only third year who's not part of the Student Council soooo…"

"We're in charge of stalls remember?" Nico asked before gesturing outside. "It's already done so I don't need to do much anymore. The shipments arrive tomorrow too." She continued. Indeed, the stalls were all lined up perfectly, waiting to be used tomorrow.

"Let's wait a few minutes then check up on the others." Nozomi suggested and they all agreed.

* * *

"Maki-chan, you knew Takamitsu-kun from way back right?" Hanayo asked as she looked at her red haired friend who was setting up a table with Reifu. She gave a nod as a reply. "How long has he been like this?"

"Ever since I met him when we were five years old." Maki replied without hesitation. Kei already openly told everyone about his disease so she assumed that this would be fine.

"But that's so young…" Shun muttered as he placed a cloth over the table.

Maki nodded. "That's how we met after all. Papa told me to keep an eye on him. He wasn't like this before, you see, he didn't react to much back then. They said he needed someone of his own age around him."

"Well I wouldn't doubt that he felt out of place, having a heart attack at such a young age and confined with the hospital who is full of people four or more times his age." Reifu said with a shrug.

Maki nodded before continuing. "And so papa took me with him when he visited Kei. When Kei saw me… well, let's just say that was the most life papa had ever seen in his eyes." She then rubbed her arm. "I was scared back then. He was the first kid I've ever seen on the hospital bed, welcoming death itself."

Maki then took a deep breath before continuing, "But as you can see now, he's recovered and better than ever." She said. "And I've been with him ever since as his acting doctor. I may not have a PHD under my belt but I do have the trust of my parents, renown for their achievements. They taught me everything I need to know about cardiac arrhythmia and how to keep his heart beating like it's supposed to."

"That's one heavy responsibility Nishikino-san." Reifu said. He was the only one who could speak it seems as everyone was still taking it in. "For someone of your age."

"Shouldn't it be an honor to protect that friend of yours? Annoying as he may be, he's been with me all this time right?" The red haired girl replied. "If the same thing happened to Shun, wouldn't you feel happy that you're able to help him?"

"No." Reifu replied quite bluntly and Shun chuckled nervously behind them.

"That hurt Rei…"

"I'd rather have a more professional person look after him. I would rather just support him." The blue haired male continued before stepping forward to Maki. "Nishikino-san, I see that you feel obligated somehow to him. It's probably because of the blood of the doctor's running in you." He said before patting her shoulder. "You're not normal… but then again, who is?"

"Stop spouting random things now Reito~" Rin said as she bounded to her blue haired friend and then playfully bumped into him. "You're just trying to look smart again nya~"

"Caught red handed." Reifu said, raising his hands like a criminal would once he got caught by the police.

Maki almost took what he said seriously so she simply sighed and then went back to arranging the tables. "Anyway, is there anything else you want to know?"

Hanayo looked towards the windows and then back at Maki. "If Takamitsu-kun has been like this all this time, then why is he still acting president? From what I see, his job is stressful and makes him tired… so, that means it's a bad position for his heart."

"That is true. But Kei's father told us that he'll be fine." Maki replied. "Besides, that's what his classmates are there for. Every single one of the Student Council members know about his sickness so when one sees him unconscious…"

"He's charged to the hospital just like that other time!"

"That one other time?" Shun asked.

Rin nodded. "Yeah! When we were on our way to visit you, Takamitsu-kun got charged into the hospital."

"Well he was safe. He just fell unconscious because of his lack of sleep." Maki pointed out.

"But that's the whole thing." Rin said as she looked as she looked back at Shun.

A sigh came from the door and it revealed Kei and the others from the Student Council. "And here I thought you guys had finally gotten over me. Am I too intriguing to get out of your minds?" He asked but his tone was smooth and flirty.

And came a chop to the head by a certain blonde haired president. And it was by no means a fake chop. Kei had to recover for that one. "How are you guys doing?"

"Almost finishing up prez." Shun said before gesturing all around him. Indeed, the tables were on their places and the table cloth were placed over them neatly. "Just need to put up the menu and then some posters around the school." He said before taking a box and then gesturing for Rin and Reifu to accompany him. "Hope you don't mind…"

"It's quite alright. Although you'll have to take it down after alright?" Eri replied. She knew that they were going to post it on the walls instead of the proper boards. Kei did allow those kinds of things with the only condition of being taken down afterwards.

Shun nodded with a grin. "Yep!" Eri then gestured for them to go and they did. "See 'ya later guys!" He said energetically before he and the other two rushed down towards the entrance. Well, Shun and Rin were rushing around while Reifu simply walked.

"Oi, oi, Eri-senpai… that hurt you know." Kei said, his voice pained as he rubbed his head.

"Stop acting like a weak kid. I know you could take that." Eri replied as she crossed her arms.

"I second that." Maki chimed in. "I've done that to you many times and you hardly react." She pointed out.

Kei let out a small chuckle. "Would it hurt to actually play along?" The two females didn't respond to him at all.

"U-Um… I don't think you should be bullying him too much…" Hanayo pointed out meekly.

Kei chuckled. "Don't worry Koizumi-san, it's not like they're bullying me. They just knew they spoiled me too much since they play along to whatever I could think of." He then stuck his tongue out playfully at the two. "But they're not doing it now 'cause they're such spoilsports."

"Stop acting like a child Kei…" Eri practically ordered as she watched Kei act childish.

His lips turned to a smirk and Maki knew what that meant. "Well I did-"

The sound of a hand meeting one's cheek reverberated throughout the room. This was soon followed by Hanayo's meager squeak. Maki had reacted quickly, her hand now suspends in the air. The impact actually made it sting. Same could be said for Kei's cheek that was now bright red from the slap.

"Perhaps next time you should watch your mouth, Kei." Maki said as she lowered her hand and glared at her childhood friend.

Kei placed one hand over his pained cheek. "Same could be said for you Maki-chan." He pointed out.

As for the others, well, it could easily be said that they remained out of the loop. The air of hostility was present and the two were happily fighting silently in it. The aggressiveness in their voices were clear. It was rare to see this from both parties, usually it was one-sided and yet this time…

"Well, I think I should check up on the others." The red haired male said before sharply turning around and then leaving the room in one swift motion leaving everyone practically stunned. Nozomi and Eri could clearly see the smirk on his face as he exited.

Maki went to the side and then sat down before staring up into the night sky which provided her the necessary elements to calm down. The three finally snapped back into reality. Hanayo hesitated to speak with the red haired female before making up her mind and approached her.

While the two third years quickly exited to follow Kei. It wasn't really that hard to pinpoint where he was. He was heading for the second years after all and his mutters of pain could be heard throughout the quiet halls of the school.

"A little consequence for something I've yearned for ever since our meeting." His voice echoed throughout the halls and reaching the two's ears. "Now if only she expressed that in words and not in physical slapping, I think it would've hurt more." He continued. He seemed to be talking to himself and he seemed to be talking about the incident.

Wait, what was he talking about?

"I didn't know that you were a masochist, Takamitsu-kun~" Nozomi mused as she and Eri neared his position.

Kei turned his head, his smirk still present. "Ah, but it isn't masochism Toujou-senpai. More like…" He snapped his fingers as he tried to think of the word. "I wanted for her to break out of her shell, get angry and release her emotions. That's what I think anyway." He then muttered something worriedly to himself but it couldn't be heard.

"Ah so you did it for Maki?" Eri asked, looking for any cracks. Might be a facade, he might be angry for real.

Kei nodded. "Yeah. I kinda do love her after all." He admitted with a nod, not a single blush on his face as he said it though.

"L-Love?" Eru stuttered out. "Quite a bold proclamation there Kei."

The red haired male seemed to have to process her reaction before coming to a conclusion as to why. "Oh! No, not that kind of love. Some sort of brotherly love I feel for her. We've known each other since we were children after all."

"You're quite close to her huh Takamitsu-kun~" Nozomi said with a smirk.

"Ne, can you two keep a secret?" Kei asked as he turned to the two with one finger over his lips. The sadness in his smile was unmistakable for anything else. Everything that seeped out of him made it seem like he was a much more tragic being that he lets off. The curiosity that he had planted within their minds made them promise not to tell any other soul about his little secret.

And to say that they were shocked… was an understatement.

* * *

"Setting up the posters took longer than I thought." Shun said as he sluggishly made his way back to the room. They had practically scoured the entire school building to put up the posters and they couldn't deny that it took way longer than they originally thought.

"I agree nya~" Rin nodded as she kept with the sluggish pace of Shun. It seemed like she had more energy than the male though. "But at least we're done~"

Then a sweet aroma filled the air and it was coming from the Home Ec room. "Smells like dinner to me." Reifu said.

The cat girl practically bounced off to the Home Economics room and Shun and Reifu followed suit. There they saw Nico and Kotori working side by side for the meals and Hanayo for the rice. Kotori was the first to notice the three. "Oh we're preparing dinner. The others are at the first year room." She told them.

Shun took a good sniff of the food from where he stood. "Wow~ That smells so good." He complimented.

"Of course! Yazawa Nico's the one making it after all! I am the best cook around!" Nico exclaimed and then pointed the ladle at Shun. "You better remember that." She said with a grin on her face.

For the first time since they all met, there was a hint of challenge in his eyes. "Do you want to bet on that?" The blue haired male asked as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Oh? Are you challenging me Sato-kun?" Nico asked as she crossed her arms and looked at the male who now wore a small smirk on his face. "Now I must say you would lose fairly quickly. Once they taste my Nico specialty meals, you'll know."

Reifu took to the closet to retrieve an apon. Can't cook without proper uniform. It would be viewed as unsanitary after all. "I hope you aren't all talk Yazawa-san." He said.

"Well, our dishes will decide that."

The two seemed to have ignited the flame of competition in each other. Shun hasn't seen Reifu get this riled up before and Nico seemed more pumped up than usual. It wasn't an unhealthy competition though. It seemed friendly enough.

"Kotori…" Nico called out to her ash gray haired friend. "Help the others prepare the plates. We'll handle the food."

Kotori agreed almost immediately. "Shun, you and the others should go."

"R-Right."

They all immediately rushed out of the room, feeling the two's heat. Their competition seemed intense and with what limited resources they had, it would be mighty interesting on who's going to win and what dishes they were going to make.

* * *

"Too intense." Shun sighed as he sat down at one of the chairs. The others had already arranged everything for their dinner so all that was left for the newcomers were to sit down with them. "Who knew Rei could get riled up like that?"

"It was a real surprise nya~" Rin said as she sat down besides Shun. "Nico-chan's the same too."

"Well as long as we get food, doesn't really matter now does it?" Maki said from her seat, her earlier mood seemed to have settled down. Probably because of the fact that the one who caused it was missing.

"Where's Takamitsu-kun?" Rin asked as she looked around only to find that he wasn't present.

Honoka shrugged. "No idea. When he went to check up on us, he told us to head here for dinner. Eri-chan and Nozomi-chan went with him though."

"Dinner's almost ready though." Kotori said before standing up. Before anyone could argue or go with her, she was already out of the room.

"Ah, alright, hurry senpai!" Was all Shun could say as she headed out of the door. Once that was over, they eased back into conversation.

Meanwhile, Kotori had been looking everywhere. She went from room to room with the last being the SC room but they weren't there. She was working her way up and now the only place where they could possibly be is the roof. She stopped to catch her breath for a moment and thought about it while she was at it. Why would they need to talk in such a secretive place? Why up in the roof if they could talk in the SC room? Was it because it was a secret that no one should hear?

The ash grey haired girl shook those thoughts out of her head. Even so, she was just going to tell them that dinner was ready. If she does it quick enough, she wouldn't be able to hear anything. She nodded to herself before heading to the roof. And she could already hear voices.

"So is that your secret? What do you gain from telling us that?" Eri asked, her arms crossed. Kotori froze behind the doorway. It was no use. Curiosity is such a powerful thing.

"Nothing really." Kei replied. "But it's just a precursor to what I'm about to tell you right now." He said, voice oddly serious.

Eri and Nozomi waited for what he was going to say as an unneeded pause was placed. Although it seems Kei was simply psyching himself up to say it.

"Maki-chan…" He started but stopped, as if reconsidering his words. But he shook his head and continued, "Maki-chan forgot everything from when she was born all the way to when she was five years old, just before she met me in the hospital."

This seemed to shock those who heard the news, including Kotori who let out a small meep. This was more than enough to give out her location given his synesthesia and his superior hearing. Kei looked at the door and recognized that sweet grey color from anywhere. "Kotori, isn't it bad to eavesdrop?"

Eri and Nozomi turned their heads to the door and Kotori opened it. She then bowed. "I'm sorry. I came here so I can tell you guys that dinner's almost ready. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Kei rubbed the back of his head. "Well I was going to tell you sooner or later. I'm sure you haven't heard the whole story. I'll tell you another time." He said before walking to Kotori and then tapping her shoulder. He then placed both his hands behind his head. "Come on, man, I'm starving!"

And just like that, he was back to normal.

"Seriously, why did he have to tell all of that?" Eri asked as she walked besides Nozomi. "Was there something special in us for us to know about that?"

"Probably not." Nozomi replied before looking at the blonde. "But maybe because you two have known each other for quite a while and Maki-chan's a mutual friend… maybe he felt obligated to tell you."

"Then he should've told it to everyone."

"But you're the one who knew him for three, four months now. That's a pretty long time you know?" Nozomi pointed out.

Eri couldn't find anything to respond. They reached the room and they could already hear the cheers from the inside signalling that the food was there. "Oh and…" Kei said before looking at the three. "Even Maki-chan doesn't know of this. It never escaped the two families so I'm afraid you have to keep it as a big secret. Don't ask her about her past… it might have some… consequences."

He then entered and joined in on the merriment, saying sorry for his sudden disappearance. Kotori soon followed, snapping out of it rather quickly. The other two weren't able to switch gears as quickly. What did he mean by Maki not knowing that she, herself, had amnesia and on top of that, they can't mention it around her.

What kind of life did she live in anyway? For the past year, they really did feel that they got to know Maki better. She was that cool-headed princess who is stubborn and doesn't like to show off her feelings but otherwise helpful. They got to know about her family and her life.

But how much did she know? From the looks of it, Kei knows more than she does.

"Eri-chan, Nozomi-chan, aren't you going to eat?" Honoka asked as she popped her head out of the room to see them standing there. "The food's ready and we're about to dig in. It looks delicious!"

"Huh? Oh, right." Eri said before looking at Nozomi who just nodded and then went inside.

And the food on the table was no joke. Sure, it just seemed like plain curry, some miso soup and other food placed together in a feeble attempt to make it more than just a regular meal, but the smell blending with each other made it mouth watering. They only used the ingredients given to them too and that was so little. To think they could do all of that, Reifu and Nico really do have cooking under their belts.

"We'll let you guys decide who's the better cook." Reifu said. "The curry served with the blue marking on the side is mine while the red marking is Yazawa-senpai's."

"We couldn't make two curries for each one so you better share." Nico pointed out. The two had changed out of their aprons too and look just about ready to eat dinner.

The others looked at each other before taking a bite of Reifu's curry. "Delicious." Umi said. "It's the perfect blend of sweet and spicy with this one. The texture's not too bad either. You can practically eat the whole thing without getting bored of the taste."

Next one was Nico's. "Harasho." Eri muttered. "You can imagine how delicate Nico was when she was making this. The ingredients mix well enough and gives your mouth a pleasing ride when you eat it."

Honoka pouted as she sat back down. "I can't decide which is better!"

"Neither can I." Kotori added.

"I'd have to say. Both are pretty good." Shun continued. The others chorused their agreement as well.

Nico and Reifu looked at each other before taking a bite of the other's cooking. "Hm… tastes good." Reifu said.

"I-I must say. This does taste delicious, I'll give you that Refiu." Nico said as she crossed her arms and looked at him. She had even started calling him informally.

"I'd rather call this a tie Nico-senpai." He said and they shook hands. They seemed to find a whole new kind of respect for the other.

Shun then said, "The height difference is real though."

And everyone just burst out in laughter. Nico got angry but soon calmed down while Reifu let out a chuckle.

"Without further ado!"

"Thank you for the meal!"

They started to dig in. The food tasted amazing. They could just taste the effort Reifu and Nico placed in it. It was also enjoyable because they were eating with friends. They started exchanging stories about their lives. It was all the more enjoyable to tell because of the three boys who made it all the more interesting. The girls already talked with each other in the months that they have been with but these three were new, and they bore fresh new stories for them. And the boys didn't end up with the short stick either. Admittedly, most of their lives were spent inside an all boy's school starting from middle school (elementary for Kei) so talking with a bunch of girls was surely a ride.

"You started in an exclusive school for elementary Takamitsu-kun?" Honoka asked. "I think you're the only one who never went through a co-ed school."

"Sad but true." Kei said. "But come on, you have to admit, my position allows me to meet with more girls you know. Rich and foreign girls." He continued with a grin.

"But aren't they way out of your league as they're older than you?" Eri asked and Kei froze and let out a nervous chuckle. "Seems like I was right."

"Well, it… yeah…" Kei didn't even put up a fight anymore.

Shun looked at Maki and saw that she wasn't quite in the mood for merrymaking for some reason. She would certainly laugh but sometimes she wouldn't react. "Hey…" He said and everyone turned their attentions to Shun. "You guys wanna go to my house at Okinawa? My parents have been dying to see me and my friends so I thought maybe you guys are interested?" He suggested before shaking his head. "Nah, you guys won't-"

"We'll see your parents again Shun?" Hanayo said. She then smiled. "I'll be more than happy to go. I haven't seen Emi and Seth for a while now too, I wonder how they're doing."

"Going to Shu-kun's house is so much fun! His parents give us a lot of food because they own this really big sweet potato farm. It's really cool!" Rin exclaimed as she spread out her arms just to emphasize the size of their land.

"It does lack a lot of technological things." Reifu said, now citing the bad things. "They do not have a cooling unit, despite Okinawa's heat, and it is very hard to get a signal out there. They only have one computer and the nearest computer shop is miles away in the town."

"Basically, it's the countryside." Shun continued. "Most don't really want to go since it's pretty far and too detached from civilization."

"Oh but don't worry!" Rin exclaimed. "For a countryside cabin, the family itself is quite in touch with both nature and technology!"

"Sounds good to me!" Honoka exclaimed. "I have to ask permission and this is Okinawa that we're talking about but summer break will just be the time where they'd allow me to do anything!"

"Well we would be done with entrance exams by then." Eri nodded before looking at Nico and Nozomi who seemed to agree. "We're in."

"Is your house big enough to accommodate all of us?" Umi asked as she looked at the brown haired boy.

Shun nodded, shyly this time. "Well… it's a pretty traditional Japanese house and…"

"I have a picture right here." Hanayo said as she scrolled through her phone before pointing the screen at the others. Large house was an understatement. It was a traditional Japanese mansion. Five figures were in front. It was Shun, a younger looking girl with a lighter colored brown hair, an even younger looking boy with the same dark brown hair as Shun. Behind the three were their parents, a black haired mother and a brown haired father.

It was large. It was only a picture of the main gate and it still extends out of the screen so it must mean that it could handle such quantity.

"I was never informed that you were a rich boy Shun!" Kei exclaimed. His family may have had dealings in far off countries but as far as he knew, they had never dealt with people in Okinawa as they were stubborn and didn't want his father controlling their money. "From what I always hear from you, you barely get enough allowance for the month."

Shun rubbed the back of his head. "Well I never said that they do give me enough allowance." He said. "But I guess if I try to raise the bar a little, I might get some extra." He then chuckled. "The main reason why I started here, away from them, was because I wanted to be a little independent so I don't want to become dependent on them when it came to money."

"Wow, Katanashi-kun, you're a pretty responsible teen." Maki said before nodding towards Kei. "You won't see that boy like that anytime soon."

"Hey!" Kei said before smirking. "That's true, at least a little bit." He continued before leaning further back to the back of his chair, making himself comfortable. "Well technically, you're the same princess."

"You say that now, let's see how you fare in the future." Maki challenged.

"Oh? Is this a challenge I hear." Kei then grinned. "You're on. Getting your college degree is a pain so I'll wait 15 years. In 15 years, whoever is richer wins."

"You know, normal people don't usually bet like that." Shun pointed out. "They'd usually bet about grades, not something 15 years from now."

Kei shook his head. "You don't understand, my friend. Whoever wins this game, isn't just going to get some boasting rights, although it does come with the package." He said.

"So what are we waging on here?" Maki asked.

Kei took off his gold pendant that was usually hidden under his clothing and placed it on the table. "I'll wager this. Inside is some pretty sensitive information about me so I think it's worth something. Oh and this is pure gold so it's more valuable than it looks. How about you?"

Maki reached into her pocket and then showed a ring with diamond embedded to it and placed it on the table. "This is a family heirloom, passed down from one generation to the next. This is real silver and diamond."

"Deal." And it was closed when they shook hands. Everyone looked at what they wagered.

"If I didn't know better, I would think that you two are just flaunting your richness at us…" Shun muttered as Maki and Kei retrieved their items.

"Eh but you do know better." Kei said with a shrug.

Suddenly Honoka yawned pretty loudly and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Ah, I feel sleep~" She said before sluggishly standing up. "I'm gonna head to bed~"

"If you sleep right after you eat, you'll become a cow." Umi pointed out.

"You sound like my mom." Honoka pouted as she reached the door.

"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Honoka continued out of the door. "Oi, Honoka! At least clean your own plates!" Umi said.

Kotori giggled. "Don't worry Umi-chan, we'll do it."

"Kotori, you're spoiling her…" Umi said with a sigh.

"Is this how you girls have a sleepover?" Reifu asked as he started collecting plates to be placed later on the sink. "Interesting."

"You know Reifu, I don't think normal sleepovers are like this." Nozomi pointed out to inform the male.

"Well anyway, Kei, can you set up our room? We'll take care of the dishes." Shun said as he looked at the red haired male who was already heading for the door.

"Roger that."

The other girls, except Kotori who decided to help with the clean up, went back to their respective rooms. "You know we could do this ourselves, Minami-senpai." Shun said as he started to wash the plates on the sink. Reifu was out at the dining table, cleaning it up and placing it to its respective places.

"I can't leave it all to you, you know?" Kotori replied with a smile on her face as she washed beside him.

"I can really see how you became the Legendary Akiba Maid." Shun admitted as he blushed slightly under Kotori's smile. "You're kind and beautiful." He continued.

Kotori blushed at the compliments. "Oi, oi, I thought you liked Nishikino-san…" Reifu's voice came from the doorway.

Shun blushed madly and then looked at Reifu, almost dropping the plate the he was holding. "H-H-How did you-"

"You like Maki-chan, Shun?" Kotori asked from the side, blush already faded and her eyes now filled with curiosity.

"I give up…" Shun muttered before turning back to the sink to continue washing, his blush still very visible.

"Well it was only a matter of time for him to fall in love with Nishikino-san." Reifu said as he leaned on the wall. "If you look at it real close, Shun really did feel attracted to Nishikino-san. Well she is a natural beauty, I can't deny that. Any normal boy would find themselves falling for her you know…"

Kotori nodded. "I think so too. I've heard from some Amagiri students about the cold hearted beauty, the heiress of the Nishikino hospitals, the composer of Muse, Nishikino Maki." She said.

"So many titles for one girl." Reifu said. "But I expect no less from Nishikino-san. Oh and you've gotten silent Shun. You haven't answered Minami-senpai yet."

"Fine! I like her alright." Shun said before placing the dishes to dry on the side. "But don't tell anyone alright?"

"We wouldn't even dream of it." Kotori reassured him. "But Maki-chan's…" She muttered and then Shun looked at her but then she shook her head dismissively. "Nevermind."

"Hey what were you going to say?" Shun asked, almost pleadingly.

Kotori giggled and then headed for the door. "It's nothing~" She said before closing the door and then heading for her room.

Shun sighed. "Boy, I'm nervous as heck." He said, placing a hand over his heart. "I'm gonna tell her tomorrow after all." He said with a small smile on his face.

"Tomorrow?" Reifu muttered, hiding the shock and worry in a stoic face. Rin was planning to do so tomorrow as well. Tomorrow was quite a complicated day. "Ah, did you know that Minami-senpai's birthday was tomorrow?"

Shun looked at Reifu, shock written all over his face. "Really? We've gotta bring her a present!"

"I'll handle that. You just focus on tomorrow." Reifu said before patting his shoulder and then leaving.

"Right." Shun said with a nod before going off himself.

"Shun."

"Yes?"

"Better prepare for unforeseen events." Reifu warned before waving his hand leaving the brown haired male dumbfounded.

* * *

 _"Oh tomorrow's your Cultural Festival right?"_ It was spoken in pure english, like it was straight out of an American. _"I wanted to go there but unfortunately we have business here. It is the very first festival where you and Maki worked together."_

The night's breeze was cold to the skin but it did nothing to the red haired male who was leaning on the fence on the rooftop. "It would've been nice to have you two here. Maki would be thrilled to see you again."

 _"My, she must miss us. It's been 5 years after all."_

"Yeah, unlike me, she doesn't go to America at all." Kei said. "And you two don't visit at all."

 _"Well forgive us for being too busy. You're not the only one with the burden of being the next in line for a business."_

"Hey, Alexavier is the next in line. Cassandra, you're free to do anything."

 _"My, calling us by our names is rare for you to do Kei."_ Some other people speak in the background causing the other's attention to be divided. _"Ah, seems I'm off. Until next time."_

"Bye." Kei said before separating the phone from his ear. "But seriously, I hoped to speak with Alex about that certain something." He muttered before sliding the phone into his pocket and leaving the rooftop. He rubbed the back of his head. "It's gonna pose a big problem on what's to come."

* * *

Kei knocked on the girls' door before opening it. Everyone seemed to have settled into the classroom but they seemed to be busy with something. Well, Umi herself was already asleep so they seemed to be whispering. "We're locking up for the night. You have your key right?" He asked.

"It's with me." Honoka said, raising her hand. She then stood up and then headed for the door. "Good night, Takamitsu-kun."

Kei nodded. "G'night. Let's hope nothing bad happens tonight~" He said with a mischievous smile.

"You better not have a master key to sneak in Kei." Maki warned, sending a glare towards him. "That would be extremely unpleasant."

"Even if you check everything on me, I don't have a master key. It's what father." Kei reassured them. "Well then, sleep tight."

"Will you be able to sleep though?" Came Eri's question.

Kei shrugged. "Who knows." He then waved and went back to their room.

Honoka waved back and then locked the door, the key safely tucked in her pajamas' pocket. "What do you mean by that question Eri-chan?"

"You see, because of his medicines, he sometimes gets insomnia." Eri explained. "It doesn't usually bother him but by this time, it would be his fifth day in a row…"

"Oh? You know a lot about Takamitsu-kun~" Nozomi teased before nudging her blonde haired best friend. "Are you sure you're not dating?"

Eri blushed. "O-Of course not." She replied. "He's just been working with me all this time so we sometimes call each other at night."

"And the truth reveals itself." Nico said. Now the Muse's attention was all on the blonde. "So you do contact each other…"

"It's only to talk about the Cultural Festival though…"

"Eh? But you just said that it would be his fifth night not sleeping." Honoka said. "Then that means you've been talking with him for five nights in the a row!"

Kotori covered her ginger haired friend's mouth. "Shh, you might wake Umi-chan." Honoka merely gave an apologetic nod.

"Well, it's been pretty hectic so we needed to survey every night." Eri admitted. "I wanted to stay up too but I just couldn't."

Maki let out a long "Hm…" She then looked at the others. "So that's why he keeps on nodding off at the most unusual places. I saw him sleeping under a tree, on the bench, on the tree branch, under a desk, inside the storage room, in the gazzeebo, and some other places."

"I'm more worried on why he fell asleep there though…" Kotori said. "But then again, Taka-kun is weird… on another level."

* * *

"Do they know that I can completely hear them?" Kei muttered to himself. The boys were stationed on the next room to the right and he placed himself near the wall. The wall itself was thin so he could hear them conversing and so do the other boys.

"I didn't know you were so close with the girls." Shun said. He sat cross legged over his futon while his pillow was on his lap.

"I just happen to know three of them." Kei replied. "Now you two should get some sleep. I'll follow soon after." He said before leaning back onto the wall behind him. "You have a big day ahead of you. And it's not the Cultural Festival. Good luck." He said with a thumbs up.

Shun chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, blush once more visible on his face. "Thanks. Good night." He said with a smile before tucking himself in the futon. It wasn't look 'till he was snoozing.

"It won't be hard to confess. It'd be hard to be confessed to when you're in love with another." He muttered. "You'd need all the luck in the world to get through this day without regretting anything Shun." He continued, knowing that Shun won't hear him.

"You know about it too?" Reifu asked as he looked at his school's student council president.

"Well, she did set up an alarm for it on her phone." Kei replied and followed it with a nervous chuckle. "But anyway, do you think Shun can handle himself well? I've never seen a love triangle develop so fast in real life. I've only seen it in stories and we're definitely not in one."

"Or are we?" Reifu asked before looking at Kei seriously.

"I thought we weren't allowed to break the fourth wall." Kei pointed out. "I mean sure we're in a story and all but-"

"What are you talking about kaichou?" Reifu asked. "I only meant that each one of our lives is like a book, each with its own story. However, we write the next page."

"Oh…"

"What were you getting at anyway?"

"Nothing." He followed up quickly. "Now come on, sleep." Kei himself went on under the futo's blanket and tried to sleep tight.

Reifu nodded before settling himself under the blanket. He could still hear the girls awake though.

 _"Shouldn't we sleep by now?"_

 _"It's still early you know?"_

 _"Wanna have a pillowfight?"_

 _"Remember what happened when we last did that while Umi-chan was sleeping?"_

 _"I can never forget those pillows that travel at mach speed…"_

 _"Good point… but I'm not even sleepy~"_

 _"Says the girl who was yawning after dinner earlier."_

 _"Oi… why are you still awake? We have a big day after this."_

 _"Awawawa, Umi-chan, w-we'll go to sleep!"_

It was soon followed by some odd noises like someone was knocking them out making Reifu a little worried. He stood up and then sat near the wall. He knocked a few times, sure that it would be heard on the other side. "Are you girls fine on that side?"

"Ah, Reifu-kun. Yes we're fine." Nozomi's voice came. "Umi-chan just started knocking people out. We managed to put her back to sleep though."

"Sounds dangerous to be around her…"

"Really? I think it's fun." Nozomi said with a light giggle.

"Your fun and mine aren't the same I see." Reifu simply replied. "Who's left standing?"

"Eri-chi, Kotori-chan, Maki-chan, and Hanayo-chan." Nozomi replied. "They're all preparing for bed though. After that, it would be best if we did go to sleep."

"I can only imagine what happened." The blue haired male said. "Well as long as you guys are alright then I suppose I'll go back to sleep. G'night Nozomi." He said before following it up with a single knock. He then slid into his futon to sleep.

 **Tomorrow is the Cultural Festival. Four days until Eri steps down.**

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, hasn't been a month yet, but it was close and I've been able to make this pre-Cultural Festival chapter.**

 **Gaelic Quill: Now here's a long review. Well can I just pass it off as... "feelings of an adolescent boy is complicated and there are many things they don't understand and sometimes just jump the gun"? Anyway, thanks for reading and enjoying the story.**

 **pep guardiola: Er, I don't think I qualify as one of the people who can look to as a representative for humanity...**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: I'd like to see who you would pick in the following chapters.**


	13. Chapter 13

The first morning's light had finally peeked through the windows waking the young brown haired boy. He rose from his sleep and then looked around, confused for a moment. He took in the environment around him. It was a classroom, one of the classrooms that wouldn't be used. Oh right, they slept over here. He then looked around. Kei didn't seem to have been inside his futon while Reifu was still sleeping soundly in his.

"Rei, wake up." Shun said as he gently shook his best friend. "We still need to clean up." He continued and the blue haired male groaned in protest. "Come on…"

Suddenly, an alarm would blare from underneath Reifu's pillow. He then reached underneath the pillow and then turned it off. It was his phone. He then rose up, his hair quite messy. "Let's go to the public bath then." He said. It wouldn't be until a while before the students would rush in for last minute preparations." He said before mechanically standing up and taking his bag.

"You can't wake up when it's not an alarm?" Shun muttered before hurrying to take his bag and then followed Reifu outside. The door was already unlocked which means Kei was the first one up. They took a peek at the girls' room and saw that they were still sleeping. They should wake up soon enough though.

They began to take off towards the public bath. It was close to the school anyway so it was pretty convenient. The school itself had some dorms but they weren't exactly permitted to use them since it was still under construction. Most students wondered if this was going to be a new school since it was under construction, like it was preparing for a whole new batch of students.

"I wonder when it's going to open…" Shun said as they walked along the sidewalk. They could clearly see the in-construction dorms. "I can't believe Kei's family is gonna run it."

Reifu simply shrugged in response. "Well I don't think the Takamitsu family would be the one to head it." He mused.

"Huh? Why not? They own the building and the land right?" Shun asked.

"They would probably hire someone else to be the chairman and make money from there." Reifu replied. "It's also a good chance to give unemployed people jobs." He continued.

Shun nodded in understanding. "Well, when you put it that way, it does make sense." He nodded once more. "Impressive too. You gotta respect some of the big shots huh? They're decisions are almost always good."

Reifu let out an almost silent, "Yeah."

After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached the public bath. Such a relaxing place to be… and since it was early in the morning, not a single person was present besides the guards. They quickly undressed and headed straight in.

* * *

The girls woke up a few minutes after the guys. Honoka was the first to rise and she began to wake up the others. "Come on guys! It's the Cultural Festival!" Most groaned in protest while the others started to rise. "We still gotta freshen up!"

"How can you be so energetic in the morning?" Eri asked as she rose from her futon. Even they were still half-asleep but Honoka seemed to be as energetic as one would be if it was the afternoon or something.

"Because~ It's the Cultural Festival! Now up and at 'em girls! We have a performance remember?" Honoka said before fixing up her own futon and laying it on the side. The boys will bring those back later. She unlocked the door and then beckoned the others to hurry up. They did and got everything tidied up. They got their bags and headed outside.

They bumped into Kei who already wore his Amagiri uniform. Although from the way he lazily smiled at them; he didn't seem to get much sleep, if any at all. "Good morning girls! You're just in time! Shun and Reifu are already at the public bath. I already took mine but you girls need to hurry up though. Go on~" He said before stepping to the side.

"Hey Kei, you didn't get any sleep did you?" Eri asked as she looked at the red haired president.

"Nope." He replied honestly. "I began walking around to tire myself out… oh wait I did! I passed out on the hallway!"

"That is not something to be happy for you know." Maki interjected. "You better not fall asleep anywhere during the Cultural Festival. Eri's already busy so we need you too kaichou." She fully knew that a compliment for her would yield a happy mood for Kei and he would become extremely obedient.

"Right!" Kei said before doing a mock salute and a grin. "Although I can't assure you that I won't randomly fall asleep. You can't even begin to understand how tired I am right now!"

"Really? I can't see you-"

"Let's go already! It's almost time!" Honoka exclaimed to stop the two.

Maki simply nodded and Kei waved goodbye. He disappeared into the boy's room while they continued to the public bath. "Breakfast's gonna be served later on in the cafeteria! Father sent some for us!" He called out before either could get out of earshot.

* * *

It wouldn't be too long until they arrived at their destination. Like earlier, there weren't many people in there. They quickly entered the bath in hopes that they would get back to school before the breakfast comes. Oddly, there was not a single soul inside the bath itself so they dipped in like it was nothing.

Soon enough, they started to become energized and talked a lot. They seemed really excited with the opening.

"Are we excused from sitting down at the principal's speech though?" Honoka asked. "I mean there are two of them and I bet they're gonna be long~"

Eri shook her head. "Actually, they won't be speaking. Kei's the one that's going to speak and officially open the cultural festival. It was supposed to be me though but I have a performance right after and I can't change that quick." She admitted. "Although he claimed that it won't be boring but then again, it's hard to make a speech not boring."

"Eh? Takamitsu-kun must have prepared a really long speech.." Hanayo said, fully knowing that the speeches lasts a long time.

"Knowing him, he probably didn't prepare anything at all." Maki pointed out. "He's the type to just 'wing it'."

"Really?" Honoka said. She then laughed. "Hey, hey, if I ever became Student Council President and when I have my speech, I might try to 'wing it' you know?" She then continued to laugh and then Rin joined in with her and soon everyone did so as well.

"Honoka-chan as president? I don't think it suits you nya~" Rin said before pouncing on Honoka and they both went underwater for a while. They soon resurfaced though.

"Mou~ Rin-chan, I can become a president if I want to be!" Honoka retorted.

"But being president means a lot of work." Umi pointed out. "You'll have to sort out documents, talk to the school clubs, organize the finances and a lot of other things. And if you want to make yourself memorable as a president, you'd have to do something as daring as what Eri did for this cultural festival."

That was when it hit Honoka. Umi was right! Being a student council president was a lot of work! "You're right Umi-chan! President work doesn't seem to be cut out for me." She said before letting out a chuckle.

"Hm? I think you'll be a great president Honoka-chan." Nozomi said. "You have this great aura around you and you have a knack for leading people."

Eri nodded. "You did create Muse and then had crazy ideas in store for us. Everyone just easily fall into your pace Honoka-chan. Why don't you try running for presidency? There's no harm in that."

Honoka blushed under the compliments and let out a nervous chuckle. "W-Well…" She really did think about running for presidency. Otonokizaka students were already betting on who they want to run and win as president of the student council now that Eri was stepping down. It naturally passed by anyone's mind to take up the high-ranking position as a chance to show off their skills and to improve their beloved school. Unfortunately, Honoka just thought nothing of it and it remained only as a thought. However, with the encouragement of the current President and Vice-President, the thought of being president seemed to be more realistic than she originally thought. She nodded. "I'll try running then!" She proclaimed with a huge grin. "Umi-chan, Kotori-chan, will you help me?"

Kotori did not even hesitate to nod. "Of course I will!" Honoka had always been the one to help her, now she believed it was her turn to support her ginger-haired friend. Their eyes then traveled towards the blue haired girl who was now already out of the bath with a towel wrapped around her, ready to escape. Too bad she couldn't do it any faster.

Umi looked at them and saw expectant eyes. She wanted to argue. She didn't exactly want to run with Honoka to help her. Then again, Honoka might epicly fail at being a president and no one would be there to catch her. "Fine. If I leave Honoka to be president, who knows what she'll do?" She replied and then they cheered.

Their voices reached the other side of the wall and into the boys' bath where Shun and Reifu were just finishing up. They could hear them quite clearly thanks to the empty and quiet space where the only thing you would hear is their movement and the sound of rushing water whenever they filled up a wooden bucket to cleanse themselves with.

Shun smiled at Reifu. "Seems like they're enjoying themselves there." He said, a towel already wrapped around the lower portion of his body. "Should we wait for them?" He asked, looking at his best friend who was already on his way to the door to change his clothes.

The blue haired male nodded. "Alright." That was his mere reply before exiting the bath and into the changing room.

The brown haired male contemplated on something before deciding. "Hey girls can you hear me? It's Shun!" He practically exclaimed to make sure that those on the other side would hear him.

"Shu-kun? You're still inside the bath?" Rin asked.

"We're going actually but we're going to wait for you in the lobby alright?" Shun notified them and they replied with a chorus of agreements. He felt satisfied and then left the bath room to head for the changing room himself.

It wasn't too soon until he and Reifu were finished changing. It was probably one of the first times the girls would see them in their uniform. In all honesty, compared to when they wear casual clothing, their uniforms make them look sharper. They waited near the entrance of the public bath itself for the girls to come out. Only a few customers walked in and even fewer even spared a glance at them so it would be pretty easy to see the girls once they exit the bath.

Minutes later, said girls emerged from the changing room and like the two, they were dressed in their own uniform although their blazers weren't present on them. They quickly spotted the two waiting and then hurried over. Admittedly, it seemed like they were in a rush, evident by some of the girl's' hair was still dropping water onto their uniforms. "You know, I wouldn't have rushed if I were you." Shun began to search his bag for a towel and, by luck's grace, he found two and then handed it to Honoka and Rin, they seemed to have been the most wet among the girls.

"Well nevermind about that, come on!" Honoka seemed to still have her boundless energy although both of her hands were on the towel, drying up her hair. She passed by them and the others soon followed. Reifu and Nozomi seemed to have stuck to the end of the group.

Reifu glanced at the byzantium haired girl beside him. He then looked forward once more to seemingly observe the others in front of him. Shun was with the usual group conversing normally with Hanayo of all people. Rin was oddly silent though as she dried her hair and didn't walk directly beside Shun. Maki, on the other hand, was silent because that's just who she was. Shun didn't seem to notice Rin's oddness and continued to speak with Hanayo like it was nothing.

He sighed. Sometimes, Shun could be really dense. In the past, Rin's feelings couldn't have been more obvious and he still couldn't see it. Either that or he's just pretending. But seeing as he fell in love with another girl without even considering Rin's feelings, Reifu could easily say that Shun was extremely dense. It could've been compared to… a harem protagonist dense level and that was really something. Reifu chuckled in his mind. What if Shun had more girls around him and he had his own harem? It would be like a story out of a manga.

"And what are you grinning for, Reifu?" Nozomi's question snapped the blue haired male back to reality. He didn't really notice that he was grinning. Well it was more of a smile really but coming from him, it did look somewhat like a grin.

"I was just thinking how oblivious Shun is to Rin's feelings." He let out the words so easily that it was unnerving. What if someone heard him? Worse, what if Shun heard him? Besides, why would he tell that to Nozomi who wasn't informed of Rin's feelings?

Well the answer was simply, he trusted her. And he knew just how this 'spiritual sense' of hers can dig deep into a person to look into their very feelings. "Oh, I see. Indeed, Katanashi-kun seems like he doesn't even know a thing about the world. I truly do wonder if he ever noticed." She said with a warm smile on her face. Seeing such lovely emotions in her friends really warmed her up. Although the thought of it arising conflict bothered her, it was, in the end, inevitable. They would have to get by this challenge.

"He's a weird guy." Reifu pointed out. "But let's see what happens later on." He continued.

Nozomi merely nodded at him as they continued to walk. It wasn't too long until they reached the school itself. There were some students there already and most were second years. It was probably because they were putting up a horror house of all things and needed to prep some things up. They greeted each other as they walked towards the cafeteria.

And in the cafeteria, a feast was being cooked up. Two chefs from the Takamitsu family was sent to the school with ingredients packed up. It was for all those hardworking students (and the ones who stayed overnight) to eat. Early bird gets the worm right?

When the group entered, Kei was sitting down on one of the tables, eagerly waiting the breakfast to be done. A bunch of food was already on the table though. Just a couple of toasts, tea and different jams.

"Your father brought all of these kaichou?" Shun asked. He asked as he took a seat. "I thought he didn't like spending money for your benefit." He continued and Kei chuckled.

"But this is school! There's no reason for him to not contribute." Kei replied before following it up with a chuckle. He then leaned back to his chair. "We're having an American Breakfast though, hope it's alright with you guys." He continued before smiling.

They quickly took their seats and eagerly waited for the food to come. Some students went in as well. It's a feast for everyone after all. Then they served it. Bacon, egg, waffles, pancakes, and sausages were all neatly arranged in each table and in large amounts too to make sure that everyone would get one bite.

"This looks delicious." Nico muttered as she looked at the food before her. She then looked at Reifu. "S-So this is the power of professional chefs. We have a long way to go, Reifu."

Reifu nodded in agreement. Everything was well cooked and perfect to a fault.

"Well you shouldn't expect anything less from two cooks who won tournament after tournament you know?" Kei said with a smile.

"Your father hired professional cooks just for this?" Kotori asked, astounded by that.

"Of course not. Father just happened to pick them up when they were still fresh graduates from college. They entered the tournaments while they were working for us." Kei replied. Although in all honesty it wouldn't be above his father to hire those two after all their accomplishments as a way to show off…

"Well nevermind about that nya~" Rin said, her eyes staring intently at the food in front of her. "Let's eat~"

"Couldn't agree more!" Honoka exclaimed before they all chanted altogether…

"Thank you for the food!"

They started eating/wolfing down their choice of food. To say it was delicious was an understatement. Everything was made almost perfectly. They could hear murmurs of praise from the other students while the two chefs were simply watching from the background, smiles on their faces. After all, the one thing that brings real joy to them was seeing those who ate their food happy.

"This smells amazing~" Nozomi commented, now simply inhaling the aroma. She was nearly done with her food when she decided to slow down.

Reifu, who was beside her, tilted his head before leaning to her causing Nozomi to suddenly jerk back. The others looked them. "Hm… you smell a lot better than the food Nozomi." He countered before simply going back to his food like nothing happened.

And of course, it elicited a reaction from Nozomi. "W-W-What…" It was the first time they ever saw Nozomi blush that hard and stutter. What he did was so unexpected that the shrine priestess couldn't even begin to comprehend it. Well, it's not like the others had any luck recovering from it though.

All the while, Reifu just eats like it was nothing. Shun smiled before letting out a full-blown laugh, "Man Rei! I didn't think you can be that blunt!" He exclaimed after his fit of laughter.

"I saw it in one manga once. Thought I should try it out." Reifu said, as straight-faced as ever. He then continued to eat once more.

"As expected!" Shun continued before looking at the others, still shocked it seems. "Hello? Earth to Muse? It was just some practice Rei likes to do. He used to do it all the time with his sister when they're together but it's more awkward you know? And since he's friends with girls here, I guess he decided to use some cheesy lines from a manga." He explained. Of course, this was all just based on his speculation of Reifu so far.

"So you didn't mean anything by that?" Nozomi asked as she looked at Reifu.

The blue haired male tilted his head once more. "I was simply stating the truth though. It may have come from a cheesy line but it did hold some truth to it." He replied.

Nozomi let out a sigh. If it was a sigh of relief or disappointment, no one knows. "Alright then, back to eating." She said before finishing up what little food was left on her plate. The others soon followed up and then ate their meal.

Once everyone was done, Kei stood up. "Alright then." He said before taking a step back so he could get a full view of everyone there. A lot were still missing but that was no matter at all. "Everyone! Let's do our best at the Cultural Festival!" He shouted so everyone would hear. "Now, since everyone's finished, do your last minute preparations!"

Everyone cheered and then exited the cafeteria. The red haired president stood there proudly, watching them exit until the only ones left were their group. His puffed out chest deflated, his smile disappeared and he suddenly went on all fours. His breath suddenly turned ragged and he began sweating profusely.

"Kei!"

Before anyone could do anything else, Maki was already out of her chair, placed one hand on his back and the other on his chest. She then began whispering something to him and he seemed to have nodded. A few moments later, he collapsed into Maki but she held them both up. "I… forgot… medicine…" He said between gasps of air.

"He's fine now." Maki said and Kei slowly got up to his feet, sweat and blush present. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was like seeing someone get a heart attack expect… well it technically was but isn't as fatal but still. "Go and drink your medicine now Kei, before the same thing happens in the Festival." She ordered and he nodded. He disappeared into the kitchen and then reappeared minutes later.

"And that was one of my infamous heart flutters. Can't believe it happened now when I haven't even moved much but…" He then shrugged. He wasn't sure what triggered the symptoms himself. Sure forgetting his medicine would make him more vulnerable to heart flutters and attacks but he hasn't even exerted much besides the short walk to the bath.

Maki sighed. "I thought I would only worry about the class but now I have to worry about you too?" It was obvious that she did not expect this outcome nor favor it.

"Pfft, don't act like that Maki-chan~" Kei said, suddenly remembering what was going to happen later on that involved a certain red head he knew. "You don't have to worry 'bout little 'ol me!" He exclaimed. His eyes quickly searched for someone before spotting her. He hooked an arm around Eli's neck, resting on her shoulders. "I got her lookin' after me." His accent sounded off all of a sudden, first time Maki's heard it so she couldn't pinpoint that the guy was hiding something.

The blonde didn't hesitate to play along. She may not be as well-informed as the male beside her but she didn't want to burden Maki any further. "Don't worry Maki, I'll look after him. He won't die today, that's for sure."

Maki looked at Eri then at Kei. "Fine, that would be better." She said before walking towards Kei. "Do not even think of trying to squeeze through the crowds or so help me…" She warned.

"What? You'll kill me?" Kei said, unhooking his arm around Eri and then placing his hands inside his pockets. "Don't worry, I know my limits. Just forgot this morning's medicine, is all." The others didn't quite agree with Kei. That was terrifying, seeing someone almost die just before their eyes. "Now, just focus on the performance you'll be putting on with me." He continued with a grin.

"Oh don't worry about that. It's easy enough." Maki said.

"Ooh, getting a bit cocky now are we?"

Eri faked a cough to get the two out of it and they certainly did stop. "Anyway, how about this? Let's all help our classmates alright?" She said and the others agreed. They all bid farewell and left for their own classrooms with Kei, Eri and Nozomi sticking together while surveying the others. Everything looks exactly as it should.

The first year already had their members, with the sole exception of the five main characters, in their maid and butler costumes, the other first years were going to host multiple plays, the second years had a huge horror house (good lord, they took up two classrooms for that. Yes, Kei actually agreed to tear the wall down.), the third years had multiple stalls ready and the rest of the student council have multiple stalls too. Of course, some other individual clubs started to stand their own booths like the kendo and archery club, opening up for people who want to take lessons or watch two fighters fight it out.

"Alright, let's officially open the cultural festival." Kei said before adjusting his tie. He looked at the time, yes, it was time. The three hurried to the open field where the stage was. The stage was set, the sound system looked good and everything seemed prepared.

He then stood on the stage and then watched as students and visitors alike went there. Of course, some others were still at their stands or in the rooms to watch it but this will be blasting in the speakers installed all over the campus so he wasn't too worried. After all, it was also an opening to the following people who would be performing on this stage after him. He leaned on the podium as he watched the people. There were no introductions to be made anyways. This was actually very informal but he couldn't care less to be honest.

He then waved at the people there. It didn't exactly seem like he was going to deliver a speech. "Hello students, alumni and visitors. I'm Takamitsu Kei, the student council president of Amagiri. Now you may be wondering why it isn't either principals, well, me and the… uh… student council president of Otonokizaka, Ayase Eri-senpai, were the ones who came up with it. As you may notice later on, there aren't much… or any at all, teachers who are patrolling." He started up. "This festival was made to strengthen the relations of the two schools which was shaky at best back then. Well now we managed to finally sew it back together." Then there was a pause as he looked around.

"I honestly didn't prepare a speech so I'm still thinking on what to say…"

"See? I told you he didn't prepare a speech." Maki said in backstage. They were already dressed in their cheerleader outfits.

"I knew I should've made one for him…" Eri said with a sigh.

Maki looked at her and shook her head. "Hey, I said he would 'wing it' right? Don't worry, if he could talk to his father about a proposal without something prepared, I think he can do this."

They tuned back to the speech.

"- Eri-senpai isn't going to speak right now because later on, she's going to do something." He explained. He then sighed, catching the people there by surprise. "Yeah, this is boring isn't it?" He could practically hear the laughter of multiple students around the campus mixed with the visitors they had. "Well this wasn't supposed to be formal sooo…"

"I officially open the Cultural Festival!"

His energetic voice seemed to have given energy to everyone as they cheered as he finished.

"And next to my speech is a performance from Otonokizaka High's School Idols, Muse! Performing a new song, Takaramonozu!" He then quickly left the stage.

The curtains were opened and behind them was the school idol group Muse. All eyes were on them now and no one even left. It was the perfect opening performance that kept everyone tuned in. This was going to be blasted on the speakers as well and there was a TV near the park for those who decided to sit down and relax, they could watch them too!

Honoka took the center spot and then waved at them. "Hey~ We're the School Idol Group Muse!" She greeted. "I hope you enjoy our new song!" Everyone cheered and the music started and everyone went to their own positions.

 _Saa genki na kao de doko e ikou?_

 _Ikitai to omou to koro e_

 _Hayaku hayaku Go!_

 _Tanoshisa wa kokoro no mochikata shidai kamo ne_

 _Iya na koto wa kusha kusha ni marumechae_

 _Sou da sou da Go!_

 _Sora o miagete namida ga kawaita mitai_

 _Susumou susumou susumou anji o kakete mita!_

 _Ima koko de mitsuketa takaramono_

 _Takusan da ne sou da ne minna no egao sa_

 _Koko de mitsuketa takaramono_

 _Afure souna yume tachi motto motto misete_

 _Sou yuuki ga daiji sa sugu ni ikou!_

 _Ikitai to negau ikioi de_

 _Sugu ni sugu ni Go!_

 _Kuyashisa mo riyou shiyou Mainasu kara Purasu e_

 _Dame sugiru toki wa chotto amaechae_

 _ii yo ii yo Go!_

 _Daisuki dakara kesenai suteki na Pawaa_

 _Tsukamou tsukamou tsukamou ryoute o nobasou yo!_

 _Mada dare mo shiranai takaramono_

 _Sagashiteru sou da yo minna ganbatterunda_

 _Dare mo shiranai takaramono_

 _Todoki soude todokanai zutto zutto kirari_

 _Ima koko de mitsuketa takaramono_

 _Takusan da ne sou da ne minna no egao sa_

 _Koko de mitsuketa takaramono_

 _Afure souna yume tachi motto motto misete_

All throughout the song, the audience cheered. They felt like there was something different in their performance; they felt that this wasn't just a performance by them but from both schools combined. It was just a feeling but still, they knew it was real.

The girls looked at each other with smiles on their faces. They then linked hands and then bowed. "Did you all enjoy that?" Honoka asked and they cheered once more. "Thank you for watching our performance everyone! I hope you all enjoy this Cultural Festival!" They then went backstage while Maki disappeared into the dressing room once more.

"And up next, the pride of Amagiri, our very own band…" Kei then paused momentarily as if forgetting something. "Er, what was the name again?" The crowd started laughing. His act was so convincing that it managed to fool everyone.

Too bad it wasn't an act.

"Hoy kaichou!" Shun exclaimed from backstage as he popped his head out of the side curtains to glare at him.

"Oh right right! I remember now." Kei said before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Let's all welcome, the Weavers!"

As requested, everyone clapped. They weren't as well known as the famous school idols of Otonokizaka so they didn't get much of the energy they portrayed earlier. It was to be expected really, considering that they were performing after such a group.

But the group didn't let that get them down. There were three people onstage. Reifu was holding the bass, Shun was at the drums while the other one was holding an electric guitar. All of them had microphones meaning that they would be singing a part. "We're Amagiri Gakuen's music club, Weavers!" Shun started. "We're going to play a song originally sang by Scandal, a girl group. It's called Shoujo S!"

They didn't waste any time on starting and the audience were listening intently.

 _Sakki made to itteru koto chigau ja nai_

 _Chotto dake sugao miseta keredo_

 _Zutto iraira iraira shite wa_

 _Atashi o mono mitai ni atsukatte_

 _Sakki made to itteru koto chigau ja nai_

 _Dareka no sei ni shite wa nigekakure shiteru hibi_

 _Ate ni naranai wa I'm sorry toriaezu sayonara_

 _Anata ga inai to iya iya tte ieru wagamama_

 _(Zutto kienai you ni kesanai you ni)_

 _Aijou? Yuujou? Shiritai koto wa nandemo_

 _(Aimai sugite wakaranai yo)_

 _Itsuka kokoro no oku no doa o tataku anata o matteiru_

 _Sakki kara jibun no koto bakkari ja nai_

 _Chotto gurai kizutsuite mitara?_

 _Sou yatte yasashii kotoba de goma kasanaide_

 _Shinjirarenai wa kakkotsukenaide yo_

 _Nannen tatte mo itsu ni natte mo yamenaide_

 _Atashi ga inai to dame dame tte itte sunao ni_

 _(Motto hoshigatte yo tsuyogaranaide)_

 _Ai no zanzou yumemiru shoujo esukeepu_

 _(Tsukamattari nigekittari)_

 _Itsuka kokoro no kagi o kowasu you na..._

 _Anata ga inai to iya iya tte ieru wagamama_

 _(Zutto kienai you ni kesanai you ni)_

 _Aijou? Yuujou? Shiritai koto wa nandemo_

 _(Aimai sugite wakaranai yo)_

 _Itsuka kokoro no oku o daitekureru anata o matteiru_

 _Hoka ni wa nanimo iranai ya iya iya iya_

 _Ashita mo shinjiteitai iya iya iya iya iya iya_

Astonishment, surprise, happiness, it was all written on the audience's faces when they hit the first chorus. It was also the first time anyone outside Amagiri heard the band, and especially the usually silent Reifu singing onstage without a single fear in the world.

A set of hands started to clap, those belonging to Kei, mostly to snap the audience out of their surprise. Suddenly everyone cheered. The three onstage started to smile at each other before saying thank you. By this time, Kei disappeared backstage and changing into more formal clothing.

"You're slow."

"Give me a break!"

Eri, already in her Otonokizaka clothing, approached the microphone as the Weavers got off stage. "Hello everybody. I am Ayase Eri, student council president of Otonokizaka High." Many chanted her name as it was pretty obvious that she was part of Muse. "Well anyway, let us welcome Muse's very own Maki and the your emcee Kei onstage."

"Oi, I feel like you just degraded my position Eri-senpai." Kei pointed out as he went onstage wearing a formal black suit over his white collared shirt and a red tie. In his hands was a violin and a bow. Beside him was Maki in a semi-formal red dress, already eyeing the piano that was brought onstage.

"No I didn't." Eri replied, voice not reaching the microphone. Everyone clapped as the two got into position.

"Yeah, yeah, guys I know. We're at a Cultural Festival, why oh why would we decide to put on a recital?" Kei said. "Well, you see, we got a little something in store." He said. Like all recitals, the pianist was positioned at the back, as it is the accompanist, and the violinist was in front.

"Liebesfreud, Love's Joy. Composed by Fritz Kreisler." Maki was the one who said it. It seemed to be the introduction for their performance.

The first key was pressed, the bow scratched against the strings and created a beautiful harmony. Every succeeding sound made the audience more and more captivated. It wasn't just a regular performance too.

No, no, no.

It was a battle, no mistaking it. The score was made for the violin to take the spotlight while the piano is just a mere accompanist. And yet, right now, both instruments are on the spotlight and are fighting for the right to stand in it. It was like a back and forth fight between two instruments, two players, and yet the melody they create is so pleasing to the ears.

As the piece came to an end, so did the bashing of two musical instruments. Everything mellowed down and the excitement pretty much faded. It became relaxing, in a way. Once it was done, the two stood up straight in the middle and then bowed. They headed straight for the backstage after that.

"And that concludes our opening acts, please enjoy the Cultural Festival everyone!" Eri said and they all dispersed. Backstage, however, Maki and Kei had just changed back to their uniforms.

"We are so dead." Kei sighed as he sat down, wiping some sweat off his brow. That was actually pretty intense and tiring.

"Agreed." Maki said, taking her place beside him.

"Why? You two were great!" Shun exclaimed as he looked at the two. Both seemed worried about something.

"You see, our instructor's a real terror. We let her come over here to listen to our recital but…" Kei started before Maki continued.

"We got carried away by the moment that we strayed off the score."

"Kreisler must be rolling on his grave if he heard that." Kei said before ruffling his head with his two hands. "I don't want to die yet."

Suddenly someone stormed into their area and the two were simply looking down. She was wearing something akin to a teacher's outfit, had her brown hair up on a messy bun and had eyeglasses. She had an intimidating look on her face. One look at those inside made them leave, even Shun and the others.

What happened inside, nobody really knows. What they were sure about was it consisted of several shouting, and cursing, and then exasperated sighs. When the two exited, they didn't even want to talk about it as they headed to their posts. Although a few minutes later, the two were back in action. Kei was as cheerful as ever while Maki remained calm.

Maki entered the first year room to see that most were already in their uniforms. Hanayo looked especially cute in her maid uniform. Shun was in his outfit too. Although most of the girls wanted Rin to be in a maid outfit, she opted for the butler's but she looked equally cool as she was cute if she wore a maid outfit. Reifu though wore a fancy tuxedo and a tophat, like some professional magician. Talking to him was a female, Yayoi, who was dressed in the same fashion. The two grew close overtime considering that they have to work together to make the show a success.

Although there was another one who looked odd. It was the guitarist of their band but she never caught his name. He wore a light brown wig that extends to his hips and wore a maid outfit, custom-fitted for himself. He didn't seem like he was enjoying it at all though. Girls and boys flocked over to him and he began to shy away.

"You look good Heiji!" Shun reassured the male-dressed-female while patting his back. True to his word, Maki could describe him as a 'cute female' right now. He actually looked like an innocent high school girl. She remembered him being nominated for the role of the switcheroo while the other was Rin. It was mostly because of his effeminate features that this happened.

"Arata-kun looks really cute!" One of the females squealed making him squirm.

"I don't like this…" Heiji muttered, loud enough for Shun to hear.

"What's the problem? I thought you wanted to become famous with the girls!" Shun asked as he slung one arm around his friend.

"What's the problem? The only thing that keeps their attention on me is this outfit!" He replied, a little angrily but then calmed down soon after. He then sighed. "But I guess I can put up with it for two days." He continued.

"That's the spirit!" Shun said before bounding off towards Reifu, letting the girls swarm him.

"Maki-chan, come on, let's get you dressed!" Rin exclaimed as she took Maki by the hand before she dragged her behind the curtains that served as their dressing room. Hanayo quickly picked Maki's uniform up and then hurried inside as well.

Reifu looked at Shun who seemed eager to see Maki in a maid uniform. "Excited?" He teased, nudging him with his elbow.

"Shut up." Shun muttered, an undeniable blush on his face.

The curtains opened to reveal the red haired female in her maid outfit. Most of the girls looked at her and all of the boys joined in. Then someone pointed out, "Why do I feel like something's wrong here?" It was from Chiisaki, their representative. The black haired girl then proceeded to walk towards Maki and then inspecting her. "Ojou-sama shouldn't be wearing a maid outfit." She said.

"H-Hey…" Maki looked at her before everyone started laughing. Of course, someone who had an air of regality such as herself doesn't look right when wearing a maid outfit.

"But it looks good on you Nishikino-san!" Another girl complimented.

"You look really cute." Ryu said with a thumbs up and a grin. It seems he was speaking for all of the guys there who didn't have the guts to say anything. "You, Heiji and Hoshizora-san would be our attractors huh?" He then bowed formally to her, surprising most of them there. "It is an honor to work beside you, Ojou-sama." He said with a playful smirk.

"Ojou-sama? I never thought I'd hear that outside my household." Maki said, playing along. She started twirling her hair in her finger. If anyone knew Maki any better, they would figure out that she was getting embarrassed but a little social interaction wouldn't hurt anybody.

They all went back to laughing. Ryu and Chiisaki then ordered everyone to get back on track. The 'kitchen' was behind a set of curtains just beside the dressing room. Soon, that dressing room would be torn down to add to the kitchen.

It wasn't long until people finally went inside the room to get the feeling of their take on a maid and butler cafe. They were all welcomed warmly.

Things were looking good in the second years too. Many have entered the horror house but few went out without screaming or whimpering. They did a really good job on the costumes, thanks to Kotori and the others, and the props were no jokes either. Umi did a good job as the 'tour guide'. You see, they fashioned it so someone would always be accompanying the group while telling them the stories of the things inside. Of course, getting them immersed in a scary story would make the more prone to getting scared themselves. A brush here, a cold touch there and a bunch of dead people moving everywhere. Kei and Eri had passed by when Honoka practically tried to pull them inside saying that it'll be fun. Unfortunately for Honoka though, Kei got off easily considering that if he got too scared, he might get a heart attack. Eri, on the other hand, got away thanks to one of the third years asking for her help.

Overall, it was quite eventful. Everything was going perfectly. The extra security made everything better since those who try to even commit and physical violence or get into a heated argument with each other are quickly glared at by big, burly men or get told off by the Disciplinary Committee. Every stall was doing good too, many were up for some festival games and even more for food.

And what was most interesting, in Kei's perspective, is that every single room had some customer in it. May it be the occult club or the karuta club, someone was there and actively playing or participating. It was like a variety of people were present and found some place where they could relax in their own way.

* * *

"Rin-chan, Nishikino-san, Hanayo-chan, Katanashi-kun, you guys can take your breaks now." Chiisaki called out as she saw the four. "We're gonna borrow Sato-kun for a little while for his show alright?" She was aware how close the five were so she decided to add the last statement.

"Thanks Orimoto-san!" Shun said before heading off to change into his Amagiri clothes. He looked out. It was already darkening but the festival was far from over. There was also tomorrow but Kei claimed at one time that each day would be closed like it was the ending of the Cultural Festival itself so it was fireworks galore later on. Perfect.

Although Kei did this mostly because of his knowledge about Shun's confession. He had prepared last minute plans earlier that morning and pulling some strings, he was able to get some permission for big-scale fireworks and managed to get some which will be delivered and handled by professionals by the time of their closing. The things he does when Maki is involved.

Shun waited for the girls outside their room. This was his first time in a while to accompany them continuously without Reifu around. And then there was the fact that he needed to get Maki away from the other two.

"Maki-chan!" Rin suddenly explained as they walked through multiple stalls. The red haired girl's head suddenly snapped towards the orange haired girl. Before she could react though, Rin already took hold of her hand and then dragged her to one of the stalls.

"Wow, Rin and Nishikino-san sure are close aren't they?" Shun said with a light chuckle as he walked together with Hanayo. "I remember the times where she would drag me all around the festival." He said, reminiscing the old days.

Hanayo nodded before bumping jokingly at Shun to catch his attention. "Are you jealous?" She asked with a kind smile on her face.

"Of course not!" It came out a little more defensive than what he wanted. He then silenced himself and looked away, a blush on his face. "I mean…"

Purple orbs stared at the blushing male, paying attention to every single detail. Shun's eyes never stayed at one point, as if trying to find a way to escape, but it always somehow finds itself looking at Maki every now and then. "Shu-kun… you… like Maki-chan?"

"Am I that obvious?" He grumbled.

Hanayo quieted down. She wasn't expecting that at all. Sure, he got close to her pretty quickly, which is surprising, but she just thought it was because she was friends with Maki and that led the red haired girl to lower her guard on Shun and Reifu. She didn't expect that he would actually start liking her. But then, there was Rin. Rin liked him ever since they were kids and she decided to confess.

"Hanayo-chan?" Shun called out again and the girl snapped out of her thoughts and then looked at the male she accompanied. He looked worried. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes." That was probably an octave higher. Now that she knew all about it, she couldn't help but feel like she was hiding something important from her bestfriend. Shun didn't seem to notice though.

Shun snuck a look at the other two who were catching fishes at one stall. Rin seemed intent to win a lot of them while Maki played along. He then looked back at Hanayo. "Please Hanayo-chan, I need your help." This caught her attention quickly and listened intently. "When I give you the signal, can you please lead Rin-chan somewhere else? I plan to confess to Nishikino-san tonight." His words seemed final and he looked serious.

She couldn't refuse. "I'll help you." She replied accompanied with a nod. She knew that Rin might get hurt when she hears about the confession and even more so if she found out that Hanayo helped them but she couldn't refuse Shun. These were one of the few times he asked for help. "But Shu-kun…"

"Yes?"

Hanayo looked hesitant. "Be-"

"Hey!" Rin called out, waving at them while holding a plastic that held five goldfishes. Maki was just behind her holding another plastic bag with two goldfishes. She didn't seem disappointed though. "Look! Look! I caught all seven!"

"Congratulations Rin-chan!" Shun said as he ruffled her hair with a big smile. "But I can catch more than you!" He proclaimed and then they raced back to the stall to get Shun to play. Maki and Hanayo followed close behind.

"Hanayo, you seem deep in your thoughts." Maki pointed out. "Is something wrong?" She couldn't help but get worried for her friend.

Hanayo looked at Maki and smiled meekly. "It's nothing." Everything became so complicated all at once. It's hard being in the middle of a love triangle. If only Reifu was there to help her out or something but he was busy with his magic show leaving Hanayo to fend for this complicated squad by herself. Her eyes travelled to a stall selling candy apples. "Come on Maki-chan, let's buy some candy apples." She said, tugging on the taller girl's sleeve.

"Alright. Let's buy for those two as well." Maki replied before gesturing to Shun and Rin who were still playing. They should be sure that they won't spend everything there. Hanayo nodded and they both four candy apples.

They then proceeded to walk towards the two. Before Hanayo could even attempt to give her candy apple to Shun to avoid him blushing out of control, Maki was way ahead of her. "Here Katanashi." She said, handing the extra candy apple on her hand to him.

"Oh, uh, thanks." He said before looking down, probably psyching himself up. Good thing the two didn't notice anything weird about what he did.

"Ah Rin-chan, this is for you." Hanayo said as she looked at her childhood friend.

"Thank you nya~" Rin said as she pounced on the brown haired maiden and then took a bite on the candy apple offered to her. "Delicious!" She exclaimed before taking the stick and then continued eating it. The four continued on with exploring the night festival.

* * *

"Kotori~" Kei called out before grabbing the grey haired girl's hand. They were changing back to their uniforms because the horror house has closed for the night. Kotori was done clothing herself. Eri was close behind him too. "Hey, hey, can you come with me? I wanna show you something." His eyes were filled with childish glee and his smile was wide.

"But-" Kotori looked back at Honoka and Umi who were finishing up their change.

"It's alright Kotori-chan." Honoka said. "We'll catch up alright?" She continued.

Kotori nodded. "Alright." She then headed outside and began talking with Eri.

"We leave it to you Takamitsu-kun." Umi said and Kei nodded.

"You got it. I'll make sure to bring her back on time." Kei said before waving goodbye and then towards the two. "Welp, let's go shall we?"

"What exactly do you want to show me?" Kotori asked as she followed Kei.

"It's free night." Kei said. "My father promised to have a stall ready at night where students can get anything they want in there for free." He explained. "Although it's hidden out of sight but I'm pretty confident that we can find it. Here's the map." He then fished a paper out of his pocket and gave it to her. "But the circle is still a big area and it'll be a challenge to find it. Are you up for it?"

Kotori studied the map before nodding happily. "Yeah!" She then grabbed his arm before leading him to the place on the map with Eri trailing behind, smiling at the two. She knew about the plan and but Kei looked really oblivious and really enjoying spending some time with his friend and confidant. "Hey Taka-kun, how's your parents? Last time I saw them, they seemed fine but that was months ago."

"Father's busy and works late at nights but that's practically normal for him by now.. Mother's… hm, I guess she's doing as fine as ever." Kei replied.

"Why did you stop calling me Mina-chan?" She asked curiously. "You told me that you didn't want to stop calling me that."

He rubbed the back of his head as they began the search for the stall. "Eh, don't know." He said with a shrug. "I'll call you with a new name! Tori-chan!"

"T-Tori?" Kotori stuttered out. You see, Tori is equivalent to Bird in English. "Taka-kun…"

Kei chuckled. "What's so bad about it~" He said before smirking. "It's not small bird anymore. You're a bird, soaring your wings and finding your own path… right?"

"That's deep Kei." Eri commented from behind them and Kei grinned in response.

"Fine." Kotori said before playfully nudging him with a smile and then pointed at a stall, hidden behind the school grounds and into the garden.

"That was quick." Kei muttered, surprised by that really. He needed more time but that should be easy enough. Kotori practically dragged the red haired president towards the booth.

"Hello, hello there young ladies and sir." The man seemed to be in his mid-30s. He had black hair and a black bushy moustache. He had a kind smile on his face as he looked over the group of three people. "Congratulations, you found the hidden booth! He then placed two small balls in Kotori's hand and then gestured to the lottery box. "Just place the ball in whatever place and we'll take your prize. Everything's a secret though." He said with his still kind smile.

Kotori nodded before letting the balls fall into the box. It landed on 'A' and 'C'. "Ohoho, here you go!" The man said before giving her a small box and a bigger box, wrapped up looking like a gift. "Congratulations! But don't open it just yet little lady."

The gray haired girl nodded. "Now it's your turn Taka-kun, Eri-chan!"

Kei and Eri smiled at each other before doing it. They got some gifts and then they departed. "Let's go and explore the festival Tori-chan~ My treat!"

Kotori quickly agreed and then they started going around the festival, enjoying themselves. It seemed that Kotori didn't seem to mind that they 'forgot' about her birthday. Kei's watch began to beep and then he quickly shut the alarm off and then grabbed Kotori's hand. "Ah, Tori-chan, I better take you back. I think I borrowed you long enough."

"Ah, alright." Kotori seemed surprised since she was pulled out of a game and then Kei and Eri began to lead the way towards the second year room.

But wait, it wasn't that room. It was another unused one. "Wait, this isn't-"

Before she could continue her sentence, Eri opened the door and Kei lightly pushed her inside. The lights opened, the confettis popped and everyone chorused, "Happy birthday Kotori-chan!" In front were Umi and Honoka, both holding party poppers.

Kotori almost dropped the gifts she was holding in surprise. Tears of joy started form in her eyes. Everyone, or at least every second year, was there, both from Amagiri and Otonokizaka. On a table behind them were presents, a ton of presents.

"Surprised?" Honoka asked as she went to Kotori's side before eyeing the gifts in her hand. She turned to Eri and Kei who was still by the door. "Oh~ You two sure are sneaky."

The red haired male grinned at them before taking Eri by the arm. "It was all her idea. You told me to stall, I just thought of bringing her around but Eri-senpai told me this idea. Perfect isn't it?"

"Taka-kun, Eri-chan, you two were in it?" Kotori asked as she looked at the two. She was still surprised.

Kei nodded. "It lined up with my interests. I was planning on taking someone besides Eri-senpai around the festival with me." He said with a shrug. Of course, that was just him trying to act cool but he was really excited when he heard Honoka ask a favor pertaining to their friend's birthday.

Kotori looked back at the second years who were still grinning at her. "Everyone…" She began before smiling, tears of joy fell. "Thank you!" She said before tackling her two friends in a hug, dropping the two presents.

"Ah, there it goes." Kei said as he saw the gifts hit the ground.

"Well, we expected it." Eri said with a shrug as she picked it up and placed it at the table where the others were.

Everyone sang Kotori a happy birthday song and then they proceeded to open the gifts. No food 'cause they were in school and stuff. First off were Kei and Eri's presents. She eagerly opened the two presents. Kei's present was a silver necklace with a small bird on it while Eri's present was a huggable Alpaca pillow.

"Aw, thanks you two!" Kotori said as she turned to the two by the door.

Kei flashed a thumbs up while Eri simply smiled.

Kotori then headed for Umi and Honoka's gifts. There were multiple things inside. There was a t-shirt, a photo of them, Honoka's family sweets and other things. She continued opening presents but Kei and Eri were both long gone.

Both headed up, towards the roof. It'll be the best seat in this house. Too bad it was locked because it still didn't have any fences yet. Well, Kei did have the master key so he managed to open the lock and then get them both in. He then took a seat on the floor with Eri.

"This is going to be the best spot in the whole school to see the fireworks." Kei said.

"Is there any other place that would be a good spot?" Eri asked out of nowhere.

Kei leaned back, using his hands to support his weight, as he thought. He then pointed at the mountain near the school. "It's not on the school grounds but there's a viewing gazebo in there. Maki-chan and I used to go there while this place was being made." He replied.

* * *

Shun and Maki had started trekking the mountain. They managed to escape Rin because Hanayo distracted her long enough for them to disappear from view. Shun had asked Maki to accompany him to some place. Maki trusted him and then went with him.

The path was very familiar to her. "Katanashi, how did you know about this place?" She asked, looking back at the brown haired male who took the lead.

"Oh, Kei might've mentioned it before.." Shun replied. Kei told him that there was something interesting in this part back when he, Reifu and Kei were walking back together. It was just a random thought but he remembered it and went place hunting earlier in the week with Reifu and found it.

Silence only followed before he decided to throw out the question that lingered in everyone's minds. "Are you and Kei not really dating? I mean, you two are so close…"

Maki looked at Shun. "Of course not." The answer was straight, not defensive and sincere. "We wouldn't even think about it. But I do guess that most would look at it that way considering that Kei doesn't know the prospect of personal space."

"He doesn't?"

"Isn't it obvious? Doesn't he do it to Eri and Kotori too? Slinging his arm around their necks, grabbing their hands, stuff like that? Once he gets to know someone, he disregards anyone's pleas for personal space." Maki replied. "Although it is obvious that he mostly does it to girls."

Shun nodded. He just wanted to make sure so he could avoid making such an embarrassing confession and just get rejected because she was already taken. That would be horrible right? They finally reached their destination. The white marble gazebo stood there with one bench in it, overlooking the whole school. Lights were still alive in the school grounds. There were vans near the stalls, probably those who delivered the fireworks. They were preparing everything it seems.

Maki looked around before sitting down. This place filled her with nostalgia. She always did go here when…

Wait, she's been here before? What the hell. She knew this place, extremely well even. She stood up and looked around and found marks that she knew was there somehow. But she never recalled coming here. What the heck was happening?

"Nishikino-san? Is something wrong?" Shun asked who was still sitting at the bench. He looked at her worriedly.

Maki stopped and then shook her head. "N-No." She then sat down beside him. "It's nothing."

Shun took a peek at his watch and then stood up. "You know you can tell me anything Nishikino-san. I'm always willing to listen." He said as he walked towards the edge to get a better look.

"Really, it's nothing. Just a weird feeling." Maki replied.

"Can I call you Maki this time?" Shun asked. "You can call me Shun. Seriously, both of our last names are a mouthful to say."

"Alright, I don't mind." Maki said with a shrug. She allowed the girls to call her 'Maki-chan' suddenly even if they didn't ask for it so this isn't anything new to her.

"Glad to hear it." Shun said before looking back, looking pretty nervous. "Actually, remember when I told you that I had something to tell you today?"

Maki nodded. "Yeah, you were so insistent that you tell me today."

"Yeah…" It was dark so it was hard to make out the blush on his face. Then suddenly the fireworks show started. It seemed that he was waiting for the perfect moment to do it. It was like something that was straight out of a shoujo manga but he didn't care. He wanted it to feel special and hopefully romantic to add to the mood.

"I love you Maki. Will you go out with me?"

* * *

"I'm so tired~" Kei complained before lying down on the floor, arms spread out. He looked at the beautiful stars. He couldn't see much, considering that a lot of lights were still on and thus obscuring his vision of the stars. He began to pout. "I can't see." He said.

Eri looked at him curiously. "See what?"

"The stars." The red haired male replied before extending his arm towards the sky. "I like them. I like… gazing at them."

"Oh, you're a stargazer?" Eri asked. "Did you take Maki stargazing too?"

Kei's hand dropped to the ground. "Before. But not anymore." His smile was sad. "I… I never went stargazing again after my life-changing heart attack." He replied.

Eri knew that she shouldn't pry further. It would unearth more sad memories. She then began to hug her knees as she looked forward. "It's only a few days before the principals announce that."

"Ahhh, don't remind me." Kei said rolling to his side, facing Eri, or at least her general direction and then placed his hands on his head. "Senpai, I think that it would be really, really, _really_ bad for us when they do. They have our seal of approval. The students will not like this."

The blonde Russian nodded. "I know. We just need to prepare for it. We have to answer everything. Truthfully this time."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Kei said. He then looked at the time. "Ah~ It's almost time for the fireworks." He said, almost excitedly.

Eri then looked at him again. "Sorry Kei, but I remembered that I have to do something. I'll watch the fireworks with you tomorrow." She said before standing up. But then she felt his hand wrap around hers, stopping her. "Yes?"

"I have a question that I wanted to discuss with you." He said, letting go. "It's really been bothering me for a while and I just need someone to answer me." He explained as he sat up.

"Alright, there's still time." Eri said before settling on the ground once more.

"Thank you." The red haired male said. He then looked forward, to nowhere. "When I'm with this girl, my heart beats faster, it feels like it's being clenched. It feels like I'm going to have a heart flutter but I won't. I suddenly feel hot too. I always fear for my life every single time but there's something that makes me feel like it's right… I don't get it." He said. "Senpai, do you know what it is? I just don't get it."

Eri smiled at him. Aw, this was so cute. Seeing someone like him get confused because of 'feelings'. Well, he was practical and it doesn't seem like romance even crossed his mind at all. She stood up and he looked at her, his look practically saying, 'Hey, you haven't answered my question'. She then proceeded to pat his head. "Kei, those are the symptoms of love."

He looked surprised and somewhat scared even. "Love?" He repeated, as if asking if he heard right.

Eri nodded. "Yes, love." He went silent all of a sudden, now looking back forward. He looked stiff, worried, scared and surprised. It was such a weird expression to have when you learn that you fell in love but hey, it's a different reaction from different people after all. She simply shrugged and then went for the door, planning to heading to her destination.

But something stopped her. It was Kei's voice. She was just reaching for the handle when she heard him, loud and clear. After his statement, the fireworks show started but she was stunned. Her hand was mid-air, frozen in place. He had said,

"So that means I love you right?"

* * *

Footsteps started to pick up their pace, away from the gazebo, tears freely streaming from her face. This was what happens if you start eavesdropping someone who's alone, a girl and a boy, alone, in a romantic place at the perfect timing.

But how could she have known? She was planning to confess herself after all. She managed to get away and saw the two taking the path to the mountain. She quickly followed.

Wasn't such a great idea, now was it?

She just kept on going, running away from her problem. She knew that she would have to face it someday but not now. Not tonight. It hurts so much.

The school was finally coming into a view, in a blur, but she just continued on. She didn't know how many times she bumped into people or how many times some of her schoolmates tried to stop her to ask what was going on. She just went straight.

And finally, she bumped into someone, but this time, effectively stopping her with two hands on her shoulders. It was a male.

"Rin-chan, what's the matter?" It was Nozomi's voice. She quickly made the male release her and then she ran to Nozomi, hugging her while sobbing.

"Rin?" Oh, the male was Reifu. He wore the same outfit he did when he was in the classroom, a magician's outfit. Guess he wasn't out for too long. He looked worriedly at her and then at Nozomi. It didn't take a long time for them to realize that was going on right then and there. "Oh."

Nozomi led the crying girl, and Reifu, to a nearby bench, secluded from the people so no one would bother them. While they sat down, Reifu leaned on the wall beside the bench. The byzantium haired girl patted Rin's head. "What's wrong?"

"I wanted… to confess… but… but…" Rin stuttered out. It became gibberish soon after though. It was hard to make coherent words while crying and being heartbroken they supposed.

"Shun confessed to Nishikino-san, correct?" Reifu blurted out. Nozomi glared at him as Rin started sobbing harder and Reifu just shrugged. Nozomi could feel her nod.

"You… knew?"

"More or less." The blue haired male replied. "What will you do though? Now that you know this?"

"I… don't know." Rin replied. She had stopped crying and was now looking down on her feet and her hands was at her knees. She then looked hopefully at Nozomi. "What should I do Nozomi-chan?"

"I don't know Rin-chan. Whether you continue with your confession or not is entirely up to you." Nozomi replied and Reifu knelt down beside Rin.

He then placed a hand on Rin's head and smiled at her. He then took out a handkerchief and pressed it onto her nose. "You got something dripping there."

Rin took the handkerchief and wiped her nose and tears. "Thanks Reito." She said. He nodded and then stood up. "I…"

"You should look around more. You spent years with your eyes only on Shun so you never gave yourself a chance to widen your perspective." Reifu pointed out. "Good luck."

"Why don't we leave you alone for a while Rin-chan?" Nozomi suggested before hugging her quickly. "So you can think for a while." She wanted Rin to be able to figure this out by herself. Besides, either way, it would end up badly for Rin so she should be able to weigh it in her own heart and not through others.

Rin nodded silently.

Once Rin was out of earshot, Nozomi sighed. "I feel so sorry for Rin-chan really. From what you told me, she's had a crush on him since forever right?"

Reifu nodded. "When I met her, she already had a crush on him. Hanayo probably knows exactly when Rin started looking at Shun differently. Although I really do wonder why only now she mustered up the will to confess. She should've done it in middle school." He pointed out, just his two cents.

"It is possible that she hasn't realized it until lately. You and Hanayo might see it but sometimes, people don't realize it themselves." Nozomi replied, to justify Rin's actions.

"That is true. There are multiple characters that act oblivious to their own feelings." Reifu said, placing a hand on his chin as he thought about it. "Or those who don't accept it. It's a very good plot device for most stories, makes for good character development."

Nozomi nudged him playfully. "You're talking manga again." She pointed out with a smile and he snapped out of it.

"Ah, sorry." Reifu muttered.

"No, it's alright. I quite like it when you get all serious like that." The byzantium haired girl said with a light giggle.

"Hm?" Reifu looked at Nozomi, pleasantly surprised by that fact. Hearing that from a girl was a first really. "If this were a story, that line would've raised romance flags everywhere."

"Really?" Nozomi tilted her head to the side. She was being educated in the arts of stories; it's one of the reasons why she has a good time talking to him.

"Yes." The blue haired male said. He then looked forward as they walked through the festival. It was still pretty noisy but it was dying down. He randomly picked up two candy apples from the nearby stand who was giving it away for free for those who worked hard. He then gave one to Nozomi.

"Thanks Reifu-kun~" Nozomi said biting into the candy apple and savoring the taste.

"Ah, and before I forget to say anything." Reifu started.

"I love you."

* * *

"Why do I feel so much like a side character?!" Nico complained to herself. She was alone in a third year stall that sold out earlier. The others promised to buy more materials and left Nico to do the cleaning. "I'm the great and legendary Nico-nii!" She continued before wiping the tables once again and then arranging the plates and utensils for use tomorrow.

The black haired girl continued to mumble to herself about being a side character and how she's not getting enough screen time. She even went as far as yelling to the sky about a change or something that would make her shine better. The sky replied with absolutely nothing really. Well, what should someone expect anyway?

A rock would just randomly fall on the sky and hit her? Of course not, that would be too unrealistic and comical.

Now, a femboy like Heiji who just out of his maid costume and in a jersey running away from girls who want to put him in random dresses is a more realistic response, right?

Heiji jumped over the stall and then crouched down behind it to hide from the females. Nico looked at him, dumbfounded. The females from his year ran straight past the booth. Nico would've said something to them but she was still shocked.

"Are they gone?" Heiji asked and it snapped Nico out of her trance.

"The crowd of females who are holding a bunch of costumes?" Nico asked and Heiji nodded. "Yeah, they went past the booth."

Heiji sighed in relief before standing up and dusting himself off. "Ah thanks. They were trying to get me into other costumes." He pointed out shamelessly.

"Why?" To the people who haven't seen him in a girl's costume, one wouldn't understand why someone wants to see it again.

"In the first year classroom, Hoshizora-san and I crossdressed. I wore a maid costume and Hoshizora-san wore a butler's uniform. Apparently I looked good in the maid costume and now they want me to wear other things." He explained.

"Oh." Nico simply said before gesturing for him to sit down. "Want some juice or something?"

"Oh sure thanks, I'll take some orange juice." Heiji said before sitting down on one of the chairs. "Oh hey, you're part of that school idol group that performed earlier. The one Shun and Reifu are friends with."

Nico poured the juice and then gave it to Heiji. She then placed her hands on her hips and then beamed with pride. "That's right! I'm Yazawa Nico!" She said before doing her signature 'Nico-Nico-Nii' line and series of poses.

Heiji muttered a thank you before smiling as she introduced herself. "Aw, that's a cute catchphrase. You made it yourself?"

"Yup!" Nico exclaimed before sitting down in front of Heiji as he drank his juice. "So who're you?"

"Oh, I'm the guitarist in the Weavers, the band." Heiji replied. "Name's Arata Heiji."

"Nice to meet 'ya Arata-kun." Nico said with a smile before finally analyzing the male before her. "Not to sound rude or anything, but you look female."

Heiji groaned as he heard it. "Don't worry, I'm used to it. I do look like a girl but I'm a guy, swear." He said.

"I believe you." Nico said with a nod. "So that's why they were after you. You'd be a hit as a school idol you know. You're cute." She admitted. She was just stating the truth after all and he was idol material from his looks. "Insanely femininely cute."

"A-Alright, I get it." Heiji said, resting his head on the table and then hiding his blushing face with his face as he stared up at Nico. "As much as getting praised is amazing, it just doesn't work when you're male and you're being called 'insanely femininely cute'." He said, air quoting Nico's words.

"Ah but your spiky white hair does designate you in the male category." Nico pointed out. "Don't worry about it."

"Says the person who was just complimenting my feminine side seconds ago." Heiji grumbled before sighing and then leaning back again. "Say Yazawa-san-"

"That's Yazawa-senpai to you." Nico butted in.

"Yazawa-senpai." He corrected himself, not even commenting on it. "Why are you alone here? I mean surely someone must be with you."

"Nah, all of them went to buy things or went home. I'm just cleaning things up." Nico replied with a shrug. "Eri-chan and Nozomi-chan are busy doing student council stuff too." She continued with a sigh.

"Dang, sounds like something a side character would do." Heiji said.

"That's what I thought! But I'm not a side character!"

"Believe what you want Yazawa-senpai." The white haired femboy said with a shrug. "I just know that's what it's like to be feel like a side character. I mean, look at me, I just got to know you guys." He then smirked. "Well, let's stop with this whole side character thingy, we're not in a story anyways."

"Well…"

"Ah! I forgot my sister's making dinner today!" Heiji exclaimed as he suddenly stood up. "She really doesn't like it when we don't all eat together. Thanks for the orange juice Yazawa-senpai." He said before looking back at the school building and groaning. He still had to get his stuff.

"Take care on the way back home." Nico said. She didn't have to leave early because her mother was in charge of the kids for now because of the whole school festival thing.

"Will do." The white haired male said before jogging towards the building. He stopped within earshot and said, "Maybe you should head back too. Doubt they'd come back or maybe you're better off trying to find the others."

Nico nodded and Heiji smiled before leaving. "He has a point." She told herself before standing up and taking her stuff. She then headed off, to find someone to talk to. She managed to land herself in Kotori's birthday party soon enough. She gave her the gift she brought, which was actually just some homemade chocolates, and then started to mingle with the second years.

* * *

 **A/N: Again, I'm sorry for the long wait. This is my first time writing a confession chapter and I wanted it to at least look good so I had to send it around to my friends and get their feedback before I post it so I can get you guys' feedbacks. I hope you found it good.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: Glad you enjoyed the long chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Sorry about the inconsistency there, I kind of forgot about that. Honest mistake.**

 **Maki is the boss: Teenage dramas that make your heart hurt is honestly fun and interesting to write.**

 **MusicLovingPunkAnimeGirl: Ooh, I spot a ship name. Reizomi huh? Pretty good. Love triangles hurt don't they? Anyway, thanks for reading and liking the story.**


	14. Chapter 14

Kotori hugged her alpaca huggable pillow as she and her friends walked around the school, watching and sometimes helping the ones who are already fixing up as it was really late in the night and they had to close up. She was humming a happy tune.

"Did you enjoy the party Kotori-chan?" Honoka asked as she smiled beside her friend.

"Yeah, it was the best surprise party ever!" Kotori replied before hugging her friend again. "Thanks again!"

Honoka giggled as she hugged her friend back. "Kotori-chan, that's practically the fifth time you've said that." She pointed out. "It's getting a little embarrassing." She continued, a light pink blush present as she scratched her cheek.

"It's because I'm really happy for that! I have to be sure to thank Eri-chan and Taka-kun too!" Kotori said before looking at Nico. "And you too Nico-chan. Thanks for the gift!" She smiled.

"No problem. I was planning to give it to you earlier but I couldn't get out of the stall." Nico said with a shrug.

Umi looked around. "You know, I haven't seen any of the others. What do you think they're doing?" She asked, sincerely curious. They could have at least seen some of the others at some point right?

Kotori placed a hand on her chin.

 _"Kotori~ Did 'ya know? A lot of romance stuff is happening~"_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Oh come on, don't tell me you don't know."_

 _"Haha, I know. It's not like I'm that dense. So, tomorrow?"_

 _"Yep. So I think it's better if none of us saw each other too much when it comes to night. All this complications and stuff."_

"Maybe they already went home~" Kotori said with a smile before humming her happy tune again.

* * *

"W-What… To say something like that so bluntly…" Nozomi's face was really red when Reifu said that. But they still continued walking. Or rather, Reifu kept on walking like it was nothing while Nozomi was struggling to keep up. "How did you even…"

"I suppose when you say a confession, you would think that it would involve a lot of blushing and stuttering on both sides." The blue haired man said. He then looked at her with a smile on his face. "But saying it like that still has the same effect right?"

"Well yes but how do you keep a straight face?" Nozomi asked, the stuttering avoided because she managed to calm herself down and get over it. She was more interested with how he delivered his confession than the confession itself! Surprising but true. "I know how well you can suppress your emotions Reifu-kun but this is just plain amazing."

"I do not know myself." Reifu admitted as he rubbed the back of his head. "But never mind how I delivered it, your answer is?" He asked, prompting the other to reply to his feelings. He said it nonchalantly, sure, but he was serious about it. Nozomi knew that too. After all, most boys don't joke around with love unless they were conceited or something.

Nozomi took a deep breath and then let it out, revealing a mischievous grin on her face.. "You didn't even ask a question."

It made Reifu want to stop and think about what she said. It was true, he didn't ask a question. He looked at Nozomi who was grinning. Oh, she was playing with him. "I believe that it is understood that a question is posed whenever confessing." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Nozomi merely hummed though, not replying to either his true question or his retort prompting the male to speak once more.

Reifu closed his eyes. "Will you go out with me Nozomi?" There was an uncharacteristic charm laced in his voice that once more took Nozomi by surprise.

"You really know how to surprise a girl." Nozomi said as she looked down. They stopped in front of the entrance that was quite deserted, surprisingly. They faced each other. Reifu didn't show it but he was pretty nervous about the waiting but his straight face pulls him through.

"I may have not known you for a long time, except the rare times when we talked at the shrine and that one conversation we had when you gave me the video cam but even then we didn't get to know each other." Nozomi said before closing her eyes and then taking a deep breath. "However, I can't deny my feelings for you."

"Then that means-"

"I'll go out with you." Nozomi said as she looked at him with a smile. "I'd like to take this opportunity to get to know you better too."

The spark of happiness in Reifu's eyes was undeniable and the smile on his face is probably the most heartwarming, cool smile he's ever given. "Likewise."

* * *

The confession itself would have been enough to freeze her in her tracks, truly. She turned around, and saw the goofy grin he was wearing as he looked at her.

"Just joking~" The statement surprisingly didn't shock Eri as she looked back at him with a smile. "But… if I did ask you to go out with me, what would be your answer?" He asked out of the blue.

Eri narrowed her eyes on the male, "That's a pretty specific and personal question."

"What? Can't I ask those kinds of stuff?" Kei was only met with a stare. "Come on, just answer the question."

"I think I will. You're fun to be around." Eri replied, eyes averting themselves from the red haired male who had a big, stupid grin on his face.

"Then I retract my statement of joking." He said, blush finally making itself known on his face. Eri looked at him dumbfoundedly, not yet fully processing what he just said. "I love you very much senpai, and I'm serious."

"Did you just pull off something where you wouldn't be embarrassed of being flat out rejected if I said no?" Eri asked as she crossed her arms and stared at him.

"Definitely." The red haired male said. "And you just gave me my answer, didn't you?"

Eri sighed. "I see. You know I could've lied right?" He shrugged, pointing to the fact that he didn't exactly think it through and that he would've been really embarrassed if she suddenly turned him down despite her answer earlier. She then smiled softly at him and his grin gave away to a very earnest smile as well. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah! See 'ya Eri!" He said with a wave and Eri left the rooftop. Kei sighed contently as he lied back down on the cold, hard floor. But he felt warm inside. He placed one hand on his chest. His heart was beating more irregularly than normal but he expected that.

But damn, if he's going through this every moment when he's with Eri, or even thinking about her, he might really die prematurely.

* * *

Maki stared at Shun. It was dark but they were being illuminated by the flash of the fireworks that was happening so it wasn't easy trying to see what the expression on their face was. Alright, maybe the look of nervousness of Shun's part was obvious and of course Maki had that shocked expression. "Shun…" She started.

Shun let out a high pitched, "Yeah?" in reply. It was probably due to his nervousness.

"We just met." Was her starter up and Shun sighed as he looked down. It was the usual line that is the prerequisite for being turned down so he steeled himself. "But you really are a nice person. You kept up with me and understood me in a way that I thought was only possible for my closest friends and family. In the course of a month, you managed to do it. You even saved my life once. You're a special guy Shun."

Things were starting to look up for Shun. But it was ambiguous at best so he shouldn't get his hopes up right?

Maki then stood up, to face him straight on. "But I cannot commit myself to a relationship. I…" She stopped as she looked down, to avert her eyes from the person in front of her. "I'm still not ready for that kind of thing. But I will think it over."

Shun's face seemed to have brightened up. "So that means it's not a no right?"

"It is only a 'possible'." Maki said before turning around. "But don't expect things. I'd rather not hurt you by getting your hopes up."

Shun smiled softly. "Well at least it's not a no!" He said, his smile turning into a triumphant one.

"I'm going back down and going back home. I think my parents are worried sick by now." Maki said. "You coming?"

"Nah, I'll watch the fireworks up until the end." The brown haired male said. Maki nodded and then headed down the mountain by herself. It wasn't dangerous in any way. It may not have been a private land but it's close enough to civilization to eliminate the threat of dangerous wild animals skulking about. Of course, it doesn't entirely eliminate it but greatly reduces it. Shun thought about maybe accompanying her but he'll just be spouting off nonsense all the way down to the mountain to avoid any moment of silence. She won't be in any immediate danger so it's fine.

He then sat down on the marble bench and then continued staring at the fireworks. "At least it's not a no." He repeated as if to psyche him up. He leaned back into the bench and continued watching the fireworks. "Now that is beautiful." He wondered what kind of display they would put on tomorrow. They can't do it the same way. Shun found himself looking forward to the true finale firework show.

* * *

Hanayo had been looking for Rin for the past thirty minutes. The girl had just disappeared while they were at the festival right around the time Shun and Maki went to the secret place he was talking about. She was worried that Rin might've seen the two sneak off and decided to follow secretely. That would really be bad. She didn't feel guilty for helping Shun though but she would feel bad for Rin.

The crowds grew thinner but there was still no sign of the orange haired girl. She sighed in defeat and then sat down at a nearby bench. Maybe if she stayed still, she'll see her. Hopefully she's just around the festival. But then that would mean they should've bumped into each other after all this time.

"Hanayo-chan?"

The brown haired girl turned to where the voice came from. Standing there was Honoka who had defected from the earlier group because she had forgotten something and told them to go on ahead. "Hello, Honoka-chan." Hanayo replied with a smile.

"What are you doing here all alone?" Honoka asked as she walked towards Hanayo and sat down. "I thought you were with the other first years."

Hanayo smiled. "I was. Then a bunch of things happened…" She continued with a little giggle afterwards. "I got separated from them."

"Eh~ Did you enjoy the festival though?" Honoka asked with a tilt of her head.

"Uh… I was too busy searching for the others." She replied meekly. "Maybe tomorrow…"

Honoka looked honestly shocked at that. She then grasped Hanayo's hands into her own and proclaimed, "I'll personally go with you tomorrow to make sure you enjoy it! It's only two days so you have to make up for it!"

Hanayo looked gratefully at Honoka before saying, "But you have a haunted house to worry about."

And it was only then that it dawned upon Honoka. "B-But we could go together on our breaks!" She continued, persistent to show Hanayo around the festival.

Hanayo smiled. "Thank you, Honoka-chan."

Honoka grinned happily before standing up, "I'll see you tomorrow then! We're gonna have so much fun!" She then waved. "Anyway, I have to go get something. Bye!"

Hanayo waved as Honoka started to jog towards the school building. The brown haired girl stood up as well. She didn't have anything to pack really. She had her wallet securely inside her pocket with her phone. She had opted to leave her school bag at home since she knew she wasn't going to use it and she wasn't part of the people who decided to bring extra things to the cultural festival.

Tomorrow, she will find out whatever happened earlier today. She was honestly nervous of what would change tomorrow. A lot of things have happened, probably. She wondered what happened to Rin though and if she's still inside the school premises. She hasn't even mailed Hanayo about anything. Something happened.

Definitely.

She'll know about it soon enough. If not tonight, then tomorrow. She sighed as she began making her trek back to her house, sending a mail to Rin stating that she's already heading home. No reply. She didn't sleep comfortably that night. Not with the worry of something happening to her friends present.

* * *

"I can't believe you took a nap on the roof while the sun was setting."

Maki was currently scolding her childhood friend and patient inside his room. She let out an exasperated sigh as she sat back down. Kei had gotten quite a cold because of that but he seemed fine for the most part. The male just let out a nervous chuckle to lighten the mood.

"If you don't push yourself tomorrow, you'll be fine." Maki continued before looking down as if thinking about something.

Kei looked worriedly at Maki. Did something go wrong at the whole confession thing earlier? Well, he certainly can't ask her or else she'll found out that he knew all along. "Wow, that wasn't really much of a scolding now was it?"

 _Cue snarky reply in 3… 2… 1…_

"It's fine."

"Eh?" Was the first thing Kei could utter. Everything in his mind just crumbled down. "Alright, what's wrong?" He asked. He was feeling a little out of it thanks to his cold but he could see it plain as day, something definitely went wrong.

"It's nothing." Maki replied, looking away and propping an elbow on the table and resting her head on her hand.

"Maki." His voice was serious this time. "Can you really not tell me about it?" He asked and Maki still didn't speak, prompting him to continue. "You know whatever that is isn't going to leave until you seek help or at least get it out in the open." He was still met with silence. "Suit yourself." He said before lying back down on his bed.

"Shun confessed to me earlier." Maki finally said.

"Oh?" Kei feigned surprise and then turned his head towards the now sideways looking Maki. "Well, that's good isn't it? Why do you look so down? I mean, I know fully well that you're not the type to be giddy and stuff but-"

"I turned him down."

How many times will he find himself out of words to say other than, "Oh" or maybe, "Huh?" He then shook his head and asked, "Why?"

"You know fully well why. I just met him and… you know, that." Maki replied, refusing to look at Kei in the eyes.

"Hm… ah! That!" Kei said soon after remembering what she was talking about. She really hated talking about it, or even mentioning it. It's mostly the reason why he almost forgot about it if not for her tone. "Right. Forgot about that for a sec there." The red haired male finally sat up again and smiled at her. "Be honest, do you like him or not?"

"Who?"

"Shun."

Maki thought about it for a while. "Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"I mean, I have mixed feelings about this. It's the first time I've heard that and I just don't know what I'm really feeling right now. That mixed with this whole complication is…"

"Really hard on you huh?" Kei let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm really not in a position to say this but… you should follow what your heart says. Don't think about anything else, you can deal with that after you know what your feelings are."

"But what if I do like him?" Maki looked at Kei. "And then I couldn't be with him because of that. Then… Then that would hurt me a lot."

"True, but that's part of love I guess." The red haired male replied to her. "But if your love is true, I'm sure you'll find a way." He then stood up and then knelt before her, his stupid grin was back on his face. "'Sides, I'm right here to help you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." Kei then stood up again and sat back on the bed. "I'll go now. Thanks for listening."

"No problem." Kei said and Maki nodded gratefully. She then stood up and then left the room. Kei sighed, "That's the first time in years I've ever heard her say thank you to me. Felt weird." He muttered to himself before lying back down on his bed. Now that worrying about Maki was out of the way, he can focus on resting and recovering from this cold.

* * *

The next day has finally dawned upon them. For some students, it was another exciting day of working together with another school in their joint cultural festival. For the group of friends though, it was a little more than that. Personally, Kei was really excited on whether or not Shun will say anything about confessing his feelings to Maki. Sure, some of them know but leaving others in the dark isn't really the best thing to do right?

"And so we're going out now." Nozomi explained, just to make it clear to the others that something did happen. They did come together to school but other than that? They looked pretty much the same as before. They didn't even hold hands or anything.

Kei then raised his hand, "Us too. Eri and I." He pointed out earning a sigh from Eri.

"So much for subtlety." She muttered to herself before Nozomi nudged her with her elbow.

Honoka looked at them with a smile. "That's great you guys! Although I didn't really think Sato-kun and Nozomi-chan would get together you know? It's been like… two months? Since we all met so…"

"Feelings are unpredictable little things." Reifu pointed out. "And we act upon them so we are pretty unpredictable too."

Kotori then looked at her male friend who was being berated silently by their president. "Taka-kun, I thought you said you never want to have a girlfriend." She said, catching both of the president's attention. "Something about… not being good for your heart?"

"That was before I met Eri, Tori-chan~" He replied with a thumbs up.

Maki then looked at Eri. "You sure you can handle him?"

The blonde smiled at the red haired female. "I think so. He's a handful but he'll listen."

"You make me sound like a teen with a mind of a five year old."

"Aren't you?" Eri replied.

Kei opened his mouth to reply before letting out a small chuckle. "I am not used to you teasing me."

The group shared a laugh soon after and Eri decided to cut it there, "Well now, let's all go to our positions. It's nearing opening time after all."

Everyone chorused their agreements and went their separate ways. "Shun and Maki." Kei started and Eri looked at him. "They didn't get together."

"Really now? Any reason why?"

"Can't say." Kei shrugged as they headed down the path to the student council room.

* * *

"Shu-kun." Hanayo headed towards the mentioned male and then tugging the sleeve of his shirt. They weren't on duty, not yet at least, and before she went to hang out with Honoka, she really needed to now. The brown haired male got her message and then they went outside, a little ways from the classroom.

"Is something wrong Hanayo-chan?" Shun asked as he leaned on the wall beside him.

"How did it go with Maki-chan?" She asked, both of her hands interlaced together as she looked at him with truly curious eyes.

Shun looked away and scratched his cheek. "She didn't turn me down… but she didn't say yes either."

"Then that means…"

"Well, she told me that she need more time you know? We only met so she couldn't rush things." He explained, looking down on the ground as he did. "Nevermind that, I've been meaning to ask…" Hanayo looked back at him. "What's up with Rin-chan? She's been avoiding me all morning. Not a single hello from her today. Did I do something wrong?"

Oh if only you knew. Hanayo shook her head. "I don't know too. She hasn't told me anything yet." She was confident that Rin would tell everything to the her in due time.

"Ah, is that so?" Shun rubbed the back of his head and then sighed. "Well at least there's some good news today huh?" He said, pertaining about the two new couples that were created yesterday.

Hanayo nodded but she could make herself smile. It was saddening to know that Shun didn't get what he wanted. She then felt a hand on her head. "Don't worry Hanayo-chan. I won't let that… semi-rejection get me down so you shouldn't either." He said with a thumbs up and a smile. "I still have a chance."

The brown haired female nodded with a smile. "I'll be cheering you on Shu-kun." The two nodded at each other before heading back to the room. Hanayo still had that little get together with Honoka later on after all.

* * *

As Hanayo and Shun exited the cafe to talk privately, Reifu looked at the energetic orange haired girl with the forced smile on her face. He headed over to her. It was their shift but the cafe wasn't particularly busy. He beckoned for her to come and they settled in the space reserved for when they aren't doing anything.

"You're not being yourself." Reifu crossed his arms, not even looking at the person he's addressing.

"What are you talking about Reito~" Rin asked as she smiled at him only to be met with a stone cold stare. It practically chipped away her facade.

"Running from the problem is never the solution." Reifu continued, looking away from the person he's addressing. "I'm not expecting for you to figure out what you should do about those feelings of yours so quickly but Shun is going to notice. He's already worried you know?" Rin looked down at her feet and Reifu continued, "You haven't told anyone else about it correct? Just me and Nozomi?"

Rin nodded. "Reito, I just… I need to think you know?" The orange haired girl said. "If I'm with him, it just hurts."

The blue haired male nodded. "I see. Just please, seeing you like this hurts me too, as your best friend. Heed my selfish request and take a break. I'll talk to Orimoto-san about it. Working while you're thinking about that will only hinder your thoughts. Best to face it than put it off later."

"Thank you Reito." Rin said. Reifu soon talked to Chiisaki about giving Rin a break with the reason that she's not feeling well. The class rep didn't argue and let her take a break. The cat girl did and left before Shun and Hanayo could come back.

When they did, Shun looked around. He then tapped Reifu on the shoulder and asked, "Where's Rin-chan?"

"Ah, she took a break." Reifu replied with a shrug. "I'm not sure where though."

"Is that so? I really wanted to talk to her." Shun said with a sigh.

"Sato, there are new customers!" Maki called out and Reifu excused himself before heading out.

"Hanayo-chan!" A particularly loud voice called out causing almost everyone to look at the ginger haired girl who had just entered.

"Kousaka-senpai!" Chiisaki called out, hands on her hips with an obvious frown on her face.

Honoka chuckled nervously before bowing her head, "Sorry."

However, almost all of the customers laughed at the little exchange. Hanayo then bounded for their leader and then bowed at Chiisaki as a farewell and the two went out. "So where do you wanna go first Hanayo-chan?"

"You choose Honoka-chan." Hanayo replied.

Honoka let out a hum as they walked down the hallway. "We can go to the stores, or maybe play some karuta, oh! Oh! Maybe visit the occult club!" The ginger haired said absentmindedly. "I can't choose."

"It's alright Honoka-chan. I still have an hour left." The brown haired girl assured the de facto leader.

"An hour!?" Honoka exclaimed as she grabbed Hanayo's shoulders. She quickly piped down as she noticed that people stared at her but then continued on. Well good thing they're not going ballistic when they saw a member of Muse but that wasn't the point right now. "That's not enough time."

Hanayo chuckled nervously before Honoka grabbed her arm and dragged her towards their destination. "First up food, then we're going to visit the haunted house, then we're going to play some games!"

* * *

"Ah! Eri look it's Hoshizora-san." Kei said, tapping the student council president's shoulder and then pointed at the orange haired girl who was walking down the hall with her head down.

"Huh? Oh, wait…" Eri looked at Kei, about to scold him for interrupting her conversation with the person in front of her before she got a look at the usually energetic girl. "Kei, talk to him." She said and then left to meet with Rin.

Kei shrugged and looked at the male before answering his questions that he posed earlier with Eri. The guy had a really thick accent so he was willing to bet that this guy was foreign.

"Rin!" Eri called out and the said girl looked up.

"Ah, Eri-chan!" Rin quickly changed moods as she saw her friend. "Aren't you patrolling with Takamitsu-kun?" She said, looking around for the red haired male in pure curiosity to where he was until she saw him speaking with another person.

"I am." The blonde replied. "Now what are you doing all alone? Shouldn't you be going out with your friends?"

Rin chuckled before rubbing the back of her head. "They weren't on break so I decided to go alone." She replied.

"Is that so? Do you want to come with us?" Eri asked. "We're technically just roaming the school in case someone needs us. Although it would be easier if we just stayed in the student council room, he insisted since he wanted to go around the school again."

Rin shook her head in conjunction with her hands. "No! It's fine! It feels like I'm interrupting a date nya~"

"If so, then you're not the first one and certainly wouldn't be the last." Kei piped up as he stopped beside Eri. "It's no biggie. We're constantly being stopped to help around you know? Not really too much of a date if you ask me." He continued, placing both of his hands behind his back. "No harm in letting you tag along." He continued with a shrug.

"See?" Eri said before Rin shook her head furiously once more.

"I-I-I just remembered I had to be somewhere, bye!" Rin dashed towards the other direction leaving the two presidents dumbfounded.

"Uh… so, that happened." Kei said, snapping out of the trance earlier than his partner.

"Something's wrong." Eri said, looking down and thinking back.

"Isn't it always?" Kei asked before nudging her. "Now, now, we can't exactly keep on worrying about Rin, for all we know, it's a very personal matter. Then again…"

"Even if it is a personal matter, she should share it. It really lightens the load." Eri reasoned and Kei shrugged.

"Go for it. I don't really know much about Hoshizora-san as much as the next bystander anyway. Although I do honestly think that if anything did happen to her, her best friends would be the first to move." Kei pointed out. As much as he was willing to lend an ear to Rin, he doubted she would actually open up to him. They knew each other for a month and unlike the others, they haven't exactly been socializing with each other that much. "Er, do you wanna go after her? I can handle the whole, helping out and checking out the stalls."

Eri smiled appreciatively at him. "Thanks Kei." She then turned to where Rin ran and then began to walk towards that.

The blonde continued to speed walk towards where she thought Rin might be. However, the orange haired girl seemed to have disappeared in the thickness of the crowd. She might have entered a classroom too. No, no, that's impossible. Rin looked like she wanted to be alone so there must be an isolated place here somewhere…

"The roof." Eri smiled to herself before hurrying towards the aforementioned place.

* * *

Rin sat down near the fence of the roof, looking at the festivities below. Everything right now seemed just perfect. People were laughing, playing around and overall just having fun. She thought that she was the only one in this sour mood. Reifu had been advising her to make a decision, to let it pass or to let it out. It seemed like he was pushing her for a decision but he was right, she needed to make it soon. She's been avoiding her friends all morning, Hanayo, Shun, Maki… the only person who she isn't compelled to run away from was Reifu and that's because he knew about it.

But then, she was aware that she was indirectly hurting Hanayo as well. She hasn't told her anything, not one word. And the other girls from Muse must be worried as well considering that she was acting weird lately.

"Ah! I don't know what to do anymore nya~" She buried her face in her knees. They always said that love brings good things into your life, it makes things better. I guess it's a double-edged sword.

"Do about what?"

Rin raised her head to look at the blonde Russian who she encountered earlier. She was afraid that Eri was going to follow. "Nothing." She replied.

"Rin, you're really not being yourself." Eri said, leaning on the fence. "Anyone you know can see that you're troubled."

Rin hugged her knees closer, still not looking at her blonde senior. "Please leave me alone."

"Rin… you know that I want to help right?" Eri continued.

"I said-" Rin looked absolutely furious, and this was her first time actually seeing such an expression on the usually peppy girl, and seemed to have started to yell but she was cut off by a phone ringing. It took both by surprise.

Eri's quickly took her phone out of her pocket and Rin went back to burying her face in her knees. The blonde walked a few inches away before answering, "Hello?"

"Uh… Eri, sorry to disturb you but… I'm kinda being swamped and I need your help." Kei seemed really distressed.

"You're watching aren't you?" Eri replied, fully knowing how her own boyfriend works.

Kei chuckled from the other side. "How'd you guess?"

"It's easy to catch your schemes once you get used to it." Eri started before looking back at Rin. "And I know there's always a reason behind it. I'll leave." She hung up the phone and looked at Rin for a few more moments.

"You're worrying everyone around you… so please, at least share it with us when you're ready." With that, Eri turned around and headed out.

She turned to Kei who was sitting at the stairs inside the stairwell. "Why'd you follow?"

"I was worried."

"I thought you couldn't care less?"

"If I said I didn't care less, I would be lying." Kei said. "We might not be close friends but I can't help but worry… about her. She was mentally… or rather emotionally distressed."

Eri raised her eyebrow as they began descending the stairs. "How would you know?"

"If you spent almost your entire life in a hospital, you would know."

"Right." Eri decided to cut it there before things take a turn for the depressing. While she knew Kei never minded talking about his condition, there are times where he feels insecure about it. It's usually on random intervals and she hasn't quite figured out how far one could go when teasing him and his condition. He never seem to mind using it for his own excuses, with a grin no less. But she also noticed that whenever Maki decided to 'play' with Kei, she avoids making remarks about his heart.

* * *

Shun slumped down on the chair as the whole cafe was on break. They didn't expect to sell out so quickly. Apparently, the people from the first day had enjoyed the combined efforts of the two first years so some of them came back with tons of other friends. Some even suggested their co-workers to go there in support for the high schoolers. And so, they sold out. They made a huge profit and some decided to go out to the local supermarket to buy more supplies so for now, the others were just on break.

The brown haired male didn't feel like going outside and having fun. Reifu had left to spend some time with Nozomi, Hanayo still hasn't gotten back with Honoka, Rin was nowhere to be found and she probably wouldn't talk to him since she's been avoiding him since this morning for some reason and then there's Maki… well he could spend time with her since it doesn't seem like they were on that awkward phase.

However, he was approached by his white haired friend. He had changed out of his maid outfit and brown wig so he looked pretty normal. "Hey man, it's rare to see you all alone." He then took the seat beside him. "Where's Rei and those two girls you hang out with?" Heiji continued.

"Rei's hanging out with the Vice President of Otonokizaka, Rin's somewhere out there and Hanayo's with Kousaka-san." Shun replied and let out a sigh.

Heiji nudged Shun's side and gestured towards the red haired female who was sitting down alone with an open pocketbook. "Hey, why not talk to Nishikino-san? She's your friend isn't she?"

"So are you."

"Eh, but she's a girl." Heiji replied with a shrug.

Shun smiled and rolled his eyes. "Seriously? That's your reasoning?"

"It's a good enough reason." Heiji pointed out. "Besides, I'm actually gonna go see someone right now."

"Fine." Shun said before standing up.

"That's the spirit Shun!" Heiji exclaimed before leaving the room.

Shun took a deep breath and then sat down beside Maki. The red haired girl had taken notice of his presence but had made no move to greet him. "Hey Maki." He greeted.

"Hello." Maki replied. She then closed her pocketbook to focus on Shun. "Is there something you needed?"

He scratched his cheek. "Well, not really… er, Just wondering what you were up to."

"I was reading a pocketbook if you didn't see."

"Uh, right." Shun let out a nervous chuckle. Dang it, he thought they weren't on an awkward phase right now! He knew that it was only yesterday that he confessed his feelings to her but he thought that they could continue being friends. He snuck a look at Maki who was now reading from the pocketbook again. Was she not bothered at all? Was it only him after all?

"You know, I didn't expect you'd be all flustered." Maki admitted as she flipped to the next page. "You're practically stumbling over your words. I know you confessed and all and I haven't exactly given you a straight answer yet, but you shouldn't act nervous around me. Let's just continue, the same as ever."

"That…" Shun sighed. That sounded too much like a 'friendzone' line that it actually hurt him a little. Although he knew what Maki truly meant. "Got it, Maki." He showed her his grin as he spoke. He still won't give up, he told her that. But she's right, they could still continue like this until she answers him with a straight answer.

* * *

It was truly a tiring day for Hanayo. Ever since Honoka got wind that the cafe was closed down for a few more hours, she decided to extend her own break and take the brown haired female everywhere in the festival. Hanayo didn't know the driving force behind Honoka's actions. While they were in the same school idol group, they weren't particularly close to have spent such a long time with each other in the festival and the ginger haired girl did not show any signs of stopping.

Finally, they sat down. Hanayo looked absolutely tired. While she had more stamina thanks to school idol training, her energy is still nowhere near Honoka's. The latter wasn't actually tired but picked up on Hanayo's depleting energy sources and decided to buy some food for them.

"So did you enjoy the festival?" She asked, handing her some yakisoba.

Hanayo smiled genuinely. "Yes." She might be tired but that was admittedly fun. She hadn't been to festivals with someone other than Rin, or in earlier cases, Shun. This was a truly happy experience for her. "But you really didn't have to pay for all of it…"

Honoka paid for every expense. Her wallet was almost running dry. If she kept this up, she would probably lose all her money for the month in the next ten minutes.

However, the ginger haired girl just grinned at her friend. "It's fine, it's fine!" She cheerfully reassures Hanayo. "As long as you had fun~"

"Honoka-chan, I know I'm just pulling this out of nowhere but why exactly are you doing this for me?" While she did feel happy that Honoka went out of her way for her, she still couldn't help but wonder.

"You had that depressed look on your face last night."

"Depressed?"

Honoka nodded. "You were thinking about something really hard, and you were sad. So I thought maybe I could cheer you up today. And it looks like I succeeded!"

Hanayo smiled at that. There was that time, earlier this year, where Honoka had been so focused… no, when all of them were so focused on the Love Live that they failed to pick up on the signals Kotori had been sending out that pertains to her whole, going abroad thing. But look at Honoka now… that might have truly changed her. "Thanks Honoka-chan."

"No prob!" The ginger haired girl then stood up, finished with her food. "Actually I've been thinking, why were you so down yesterday? Besides the two pairs coupling up and Kotori-chan's birthday, there wasn't really anything to be depressed about."

Hanayo's eyes averted to the surroundings as she fumbled for a reply. She couldn't exactly tell the truth but she couldn't tell a lie either. "Um… let's just say a friend of mine likes another friend who likes another friend… and that other friend isn't showing any signs of liking or disliking my friend."

Honoka looked at her with a bewildered expression. "You lost me at 'another friend.'" It was too vague anyway and Hanayo was really hoping she wouldn't catch up, not until they revealed it at least. Really, you wouldn't understand it in the first go. "But I guess it's that complicated so I won't ask you to explain." She continued.

Hanayo thanked her lucky stars that day.

That was when Honoka pulled her up again. "Maybe it's time I let you go huh?" She asked. "We're done with almost everything anyway~"

"Oh, okay." Hanayo was a little dejected that it had to be over far too soon. The sun was still up and the festival was still going on. Then again, Honoka did ditch her duties. They couldn't argue with Honoka earlier when she asked for an extended break earlier since she practically dashed out before they could reply. "Good luck with the rest of the day Honoka-chan."

Honoka nodded cheerfully before dashing towards the school building leaving the brown haired female alone, sitting on the bench, leaving her to her thoughts once more.

Her earlier talk with Shun popped into mind. Rin had been avoiding him, and to some extent, she was avoiding Hanayo as well. The only one she actually talked to was Reifu, in all honesty, and she seemed normal while working.

But she could tell something was wrong. She hasn't been around Rin for so many years without understanding her after all.

Just as Hanayo was thinking about that, someone sat beside her. It took a moment or two for her to register that that person was Rin. "Hiya Kayo-chin~" She greeted with her signature grin, this time without the internal war of her emotions accidentally pouring out.

"Rin-chan!" She smiled again as she saw that her childhood friend finally approached her again after all these hours.

"I'm tired~" Rin pointed out. "I got an early break and everything but I'm still beat~"

Hanayo began patting Rin's head as if she was a cat and Rin reacted as if she was one. Rin leaned her head towards Hanayo and the latter couldn't help but giggle. However, she stopped and Rin pouted at her. "Why'd you stop nya~?"

"Rin-chan… what happened? Last night, earlier this morning…"

Rin leaned back and then looking at the crowd near the stalls. "Kayo-chin, did you know Shu-kun liked Maki-chan?"

Hanayo wanted to respond, but she didn't know if it would be right to do so. She did knowingly help Shun after all, considering that he is her best friend aside from Rin… and knowingly betraying Rin, in one sense.

Thankfully, Rin continued talking. Hanayo must have some sort of god looking after her today, giving her enough breathing space from these interrogations.

"I followed them to the mountain, secretly of course~" She said, happy one moment, sad the next. "But I wasn't expecting Shu-kun to confess to Maki-chan. So I ran."

To be extremely fair, Shun has been dropping hints of liking Maki. Rin just didn't pick up on it.

"Then?"

"Then Reito and Nozomi-chan talked to me about it."

It pained Hanayo a little when Rin said that. Instead of going to her, it was those two first. But she didn't let it bother her for too long.

"I asked for their advice but they told me that whatever I do is up to me and only me."

Hanayo agreed with them. She's the only one who can solve this kind of problem. They could hurl love advices at her but in the end, it's her decision.

"So I decided that I will confess." She looked at Hanayo who held a surprised look on her face. "Even if it means getting rejected."

* * *

Meanwhile, it seems our resident side character Nico...

"Hey!"

… and Heiji had met once more.

The white haired male looked oddly at Nico as she shouted at no one in particular, as if she was going nuts.

"I swear to-"

"Um, Yazawa-sepai, who are you talking to?"

Nico looked back at Heiji before sighing. "No, it's nothing. It's like someone is talking about me negatively… and I can hear it in my head…"

"I'm sure it's just your imagination senpai." Heiji reassured her and she just nodded in response. Both were actually sitting down near the festivities.

Nico nodded, "I'm sure it is. Onto the next matter at hand, Arata-kun, we have to do something so we don't feel like side characters!" She proclaimed.

"Aren't you exaggerating this senpai? I mean, we still hang out with them and all… and it's not like we're being left out from hanging out in groups and stuff. I'm sure there's just a lot of things happening with them right now I bet." Heiji pointed out as he began eating his takoyaki. True, yesterday he did say that she had a point but to think that Nico was this worried about it was something else entirely.

"Want some?" He asked as he held out the food towards Nico.

Nico happily punctured one of the takoyaki and placed one in her mouth. It took a while before she spoke again. "Yeah but still, I can't help but feel that nothing is focused on us. We're just… there."

"I don't get it."

"They certainly don't talk to us."

"That's just your imagination senpai."

The black haired girl took yet another takoyaki but Heiji didn't seem to mind. "Wait, you haven't technically been with the whole group before have you?"

"Nope~" He replied. "Shun and Reifu never really told me about the whole thing. I guess it's my own fault for being so busy."

"You're not serious about this are you?"

"I'm surprised I'm even here to be honest." Truth be told, Heiji thought that Nico had something more important to say than this when she called him over. While he wasn't expecting something along the lines of a confession, he thought that it might be hanging out with her in the festival or something. They might've met only yesterday but hey, friendships can develop overnight.

So while Nico looks really serious about what she's planning, Heiji looked like he was just enjoying the takoyaki and was looking forward to eating the yakisoba that was placed in a box near him.

"Anyway!" Nico proclaimed as she stood up once more. "I've devised a plan so that we can get more scenes!"

"Scenes?"

"Yeah, so here's what we'll do…"

It seems that the black haired girl truly is desperate… no, that's not the right term, serious about the whole getting more scenes in the story thing. The author is looking forward to what Nico has in plan.

* * *

 **A/N: I swear, I have taken far too long with this. I've been staring at the blank document for the starter for the longest of times expecting something to appear. I admit that part of the reason is that I'm not used at writing romance so… yeah. I apologize for the extremely late update.**

 **And if you haven't caught on yet, yes, the fourth wall breaking will continue with these two. And you'll see a lot more scenes with them, hidden or not. (This is not because I enjoy writing the narrator and Nico arguing with each other. It does not mean that _at all_.)**

 **callofduty1944: Are you saying that your heart can't take the cuteness or the unpredictability? Because I'm going to get seriously worried if it's the latter...**

 **MusicLovingPunkAnimeGirl: I'm happy that your ships are fulfilled.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: Don't worry, Rin's already recovering. Once that's over, she'll be back in tip top shape. And Maki would still be able to function as normal. In truth, Kei was there for just comic relief but I had a change of heart... Well, here's the post-confession chapter, I hope it lived up to its expectation despite its length and how long it took to get up.**

 **lol: Well to be perfectly honest, Kei is made to be more than a little annoying and arrogant than most. But he has reasons for his actions... or at least most of it. I hope you give him another chance at redemption in the future chapters where he actually has much more use... I think. Anyway, thanks for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Alright, this goes just like the first episode of season 2. Honoka becomes president, they find out about Love Live and go and try to win it. This happens the day after the first episode. Thought I should throw that out.**

* * *

"I'm glad you decided to come and help me with everything." Eri said as she met with Kei, Shun and Reifu. She breathed a sigh of relief, at least she would have some backup. Yesterday had been a fun day really, and they all decided to join the Love Live one more time. And now, she has to ruin the mood a bit. She has to tell it to the rest of Muse. Kotori already knows about it anyway.

"No problem senpai. I'll take the fall with you." Kei said with a chuckle as he patted Eri's back. She was more down than usual so he had to counteract that with his positive energy. It was an easy thing to do anyway.

"Kaichou, why are we here?" Shun asked, raising his hand in reflex and quickly bringing it back down after he finished his question.

Kei snapped his fingers and pointed at them. "Good question. I need you to hear it as well. Reifu already knows about it." He said before placing his hands inside his pockets.

Shun looked at Reifu who nodded when Kei said that he already knew about something. Shun then changed his gaze to the two presidents… or at least one former president and one current. "Am I the only one out of the loop right now?"

"Yes." The three answered simultaneously.

"But don't worry, we'll tell you everything once the others arrive." Eri reassured Shun.

The brown haired male simply nodded in reply. Boy, he was really feeling left out. It took only a few minutes before the others arrived.

"You said you had something to tell us Eri-chan?" Honoka asked before looking at the three males who had gathered with her. "Oh? You three are here too?" She then grinned. "Is this some sort of celebration because I became president?"

"Congratulations on that Kousaka-san!" Kei exclaimed, before leaving her fist in the air to which Honoka responds with bumping her first into his.

Honoka giggled. "Thanks!"

"But no, that's not what were here for." Kei said, his grin disappearing and only a small smile remained. "It's something we shouldn't even be laughing about because I'm pretty sure you're gonna be bummed out after this."

The atmosphere around them got heavier as Kei ended his sentence.

"I wanted to tell you before." Eri said. "But after we decided to enter the Love Live, I started to have doubts about telling you since I didn't want this to burden you."

"But it was inevitable anyway." Kei continued with a shrug, seeing that Eri was straining herself by telling them about it. "They are going to tell it next week to the entire student body and gave us a bit of time to tell those who are close to us about it."

"Come on, let's go to the student council's room. We can't risk having anyone else hear about it." Eri said, gesturing them to follow. Everyone looked at each other worriedly before heading towards the room. They could pretty much guess it's something to do with the school or maybe the chairwoman herself, but why would Kei know about that too if it was the latter?

They all gathered in the Student Council room. Eri then took one paper inside the president's drawer and then gave it to Honoka. "That basically explains everything."

Honoka took a good look at the writing on the paper. It all looked so formal. "Skip to the middle page. It's amazing how it just summarizes everything." Kei pointed out. The ginger haired girl nodded and followed the male's suggestion.

"It has hereby decided that Otonokizaka and Amagiri will both…" Honoka couldn't continue after that, her mouth just hanging open as her eyes continued to read through the text.

"Will both close down and all the students will be transferred to the soon to be opened co-ed school next year." Kei continued, remembering the words printed on that paper. He clenched his fist, forcing a smile on his face as he sat down on the table.

Most of the girls were dumbfounded and no one could react properly so a tense silence hung above the air. "W-Wait, I-I thought you saved your school… I thought it wasn't going to close down." Shun stuttered out. Even he was in disbelief. It might not be his school that's closing down but he could feel how harsh it may have been for the girls.,

Eri nodded. "They did say that. However, soon after that, they told us that it was because of a majority decision… Principal Terasaka had extended his help because he and Principal Minami were old friends."

"But then why?"

"Otonokizaka didn't make the quota. Despite how popular Muse has become, not much girls have become interested in enrolling." The blonde replied before taking some papers out of the drawer and then placing it on the table. It depicted the graph of the students who expressed interest in the survey.

It was only by a few numbers but they ultimately failed to meet it.

"This is a joke right? Both Takamitsu-kun and Eri-chan is just pranking us right!?" Honoka asked as she looked at the files, tears already forming in her eyes.

"I'm afraid not Kousaka-senpai." Kei said, obviously pained when he heard Honoka's voice crack up. The school was so important to her that she made a school idol group just to save it and they weren't able to. "I wish it was though."

Honoka stumbled back and Umi caught her. "Honoka?"

"Why?" She croaked out before she started to cry and hung onto Umi like she was her lifeline. "W-What we did wasn't enough!?"

Umi stroke the ginger haired girl's hair. She then turned to Kei and Eri. Both were looking away, ashamed. The former was even rubbing his arm nervously. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"The principals prevented us from doing so." Kei then looked at Eri then to Nozomi then back at Umi. "It's pretty hard on senpai too you know so please… try not to blame her." He wanted to at least lessen the burden the that would be on her shoulders.

"I wanted to tell you. I really did." The blonde said as she looked down. "When you found out that Kei and I were meeting, I wanted to tell everything. But I couldn't."

"Why didn't you stop it then?" Nico asked, quite furious at this development.

Eri flinched as Nico shouted. "You think we wanted that?" Kei asked through grit teeth. He was obviously unhappy to be accused of wanting to close down both schools. "I grew up at Amagiri. I don't want it to disappear. But we had no choice but to agree. Do you really think that the Student Council has that kind of power? The power to change their decision just because we said so?" He was trying not to yell but he was definitely agitated.

Eri caught on this and held his hand to which he relaxed. The last thing she wanted was for him to drop dead. "Our signatures might be there. But we didn't want it at all." She turned to Nozomi. "Remember the time I told you about meeting a weird guy at an ice cream parlor?"

"The one who gave to the chocolate he ordered just because it was sold out?"

Eri noded. "That was actually Kei. You see, we met by chance but that was the day they told me about us not reaching the quota and probably changing the decision of not closing down the school."

"I wasn't looking forward to problems where I couldn't even tell you about Nozomi." Eri said as she looked sadly at her best friend. "I guess Kei felt that way too."

"We started to appeal to both the principals. I tried to keep convince him to convince Principal Minami to continue the school. While senpai was appealing why they shouldn't shut down the school. I think that the result is pretty obvious." Kei said, leaning on the desk behind him, letting go of Eri's hand. "We failed, every appeal, every fight. That was until that paper came to our hands." He said, pointing at the papers Honoka was holding but now was on the ground.

"The battle was over. We lost." Eri continued. "That's when we started planning for the cultural festival. It's amazing how we got away with telling the students and parents that we just wanted to cultivate the students' ability to communicate and work with the other gender effectively."

"It was a good reason though." Maki replied. "Most of us thought nothing of it."

Eri smiled but she shook her head. "It wasn't because it was a good reason that you believed it. It was because you trusted me."

"She has a point. Shun here trusts me to make decisions on impulse, jumping the gun at every idea that I think is good." The red haired male shrugged. "But look at Reifu and Toujou-senpai. They were initially skeptical about the idea, Toujou-senpai even went to me to ask the questions since she knew Eri-senpai wouldn't budge. Only a little more and you could've…"

Nozomi looked at him gently and said, "We knew. Reifu and I found out about it."

Everyone gasped at this revelation, shocking Kei and Eri as well. "Who are the only people who can effectively shut the presidents up? Your parents or the chairperson. Why would your parents be all secretive? So the only answer was the chairperson." Reifu explained. While he knew Kei's father was strict and all, the guy doesn't usually involve himself in school affairs despite being one of the board. "Then we started to search for a problem. What would a chairperson hide?"

"It should have something to do with both schools." Nozomi continued. "But there wasn't a problem on both schools… unless you include the old problem of the school closing down." The byzantium haired girl pointed out. "And we just guessed that that was it."

"I'm going to talk with Principal Minami." Honoka said before making her way to the door. No one moved to stop her though.

"What will you say?" Kei asked.

"I'm going to ask for her to change her mind."

"You think that'll work?"

"It's better than doing nothing."

"You sound so unsure."

"Then what should I do!?" Honoka asked as she looked back at Kei. "I want to protect the school! I don't want it to close down!"

"Honoka…" Eri looked down. She really was ashamed. She hated this idea as much as Honoka did, if not more, and yet the truth is that they couldn't do anything about it.

"Keep your head up and keep looking forward." Reifu said putting him in the spotlight this time. He then looked at the ginger haired girl. "There are things you can change, and things that you cannot. You have to let go of the things you cannot, this included."

"But…"

"So what should you do? Make something memorable, something Otonokizaka can be proud of. The school may be closing down but part of its tradition will still be carried over to the new school, so do something so everyone would look up to the name Otonokizaka, even as it disappears from the school list."

Everyone looked at Reifu in awe. He was right. There was nothing they could do to prevent the school from closing down. So instead on focusing on a problem they cannot solve, they should just do something that they can, like making the last year on this school as memorable as possible.

Honoka wiped her tears and it gave way to a smile. "That's right…" She understood everything; she was just being too stubborn earlier. Reifu's speech only gave way for her to accept reality. "Yeah!" She then looked at the others who also cheered up. "But, what should we do?"

"Aren't you already set for the Love Live?" Kei asked. "Winning it, I mean. If anything, this will make you the Second Love Live winners. Now that's a title you can hold proudly."

"That might not be such a bad idea." Maki agreed with her friend. "What do you think Honoka?"

The ginger haired girl smiled and then nodded, "I think it's a great idea!" She then looked at the others. "Let's win the Love Live girls! For the third years and for the school!"

"Yeah!"

Honoka looked at the three males who were present. "You'll support us right?"

"Of course." Reifu replied with a nod.

"Why wouldn't we?" Shun said with a big grin on his face.

"Ha! I've been watching you guys for a pretty long time now you know?" Kei replied. They all cheered and began talking merrily again. They just had to accept the fact that the school was closing down and they can't do anything about it. Before, they could, since Principal Minami hasn't really decided to close it down for sure, but now… it is, so they just had to make it memorable.

"Ah~ As much as I'd like to stick around." Kei finally said before tapping his wristwatch, also going back to his original peppy attitude. "We can't. Come on Shun, Reifu, we still have classes today."

"Right!" Since the mood had gotten lighter, Shun was feeling more peppy than usual as well. Reifu and Kei had made their way to the door while the brown haired male said, "Good luck guys! If you need anything, we'll be right here."

"Oh wait, we'll have to keep this relationship stuff under wraps right?" Kei asked as he looked at the most knowledgeable about idols, Nico and Hanayo.

Nico slammed her fist on her other hand, "You're right! Idols can't be in relationships, even school idols!"

"I forgot about that!" Hanayo exclaimed, although exclaimed might be pushing it. More like softly shouting it. She was too focused on their friendships and relationships that she forgot all about it.

"Now that you mention it, I do think I've read something like that at one time." Honoka said as she thought back to when she was still learning more about idols.

"That so?" Reifu asked. "Then I guess we just won't be able to go on dates. It's not like we can't see each other."

"Or we can go on double dates and just say that we're just friends~" Kei chirped in with a mischievous grin on his face.

"That won't do Kaichou." Shun said as he joined the other two males. "We can't do anything that would make their popularity go down."

The red haired male frowned. "Ah~ Shame, shame~"

"Now, let's go. Bye." Reifu said, bowing for all three males before closing the door and heading out of Otonokizaka.

Eri looked back at the girls. "I really am sorry for keeping this all a secret."

"While I'm sad that you didn't say anything and that the school is closing down, it really isn't your fault Eri-chan." Honoka said before looking at the others. "Ready to win this girls?"

"Of course!"

* * *

A week had passed and the principals had told their students about the merging of the two schools. While it was met with a negative response, Honoka had did her best to cheer Otonokizaka up. Seeing that the one originally most devastated of all about the school closing down cheering them up, they had accepted it. Amagiri was way more passive, but still didn't approve of the fact that they were being combined. Some of their reasons for entering this school was because it was an exclusive school. But they didn't react too violently so it was fine. And so the day proceeded on normally despite the announcement.

Kei slumped on his chair as he looked at Maki pacing back and forth, as if contemplating something. "You know, my room isn't your personal thinking space Maki-chan… Rather, why travel all the way here when you have a mansion of a house too?" While it is true that their houses are close by, it still takes more than a few minutes of walking to get there.

"The girls want to do a training camp. I was wondering where we should go." Maki replied as she looked at her childhood friend. "What do you think?"

"Training camp? The beach I guess?" Kei replied without thinking really.

"We already did that last year."

"Are you using your summer houses?"

"Yes."

"Uh… well… let's see here…" Kei began to think as Maki sat down on the bed. "How about the one near Mt. Fuji?"

"That one hasn't been cleaned yet."

"Eh? Then what about the one near the mountains." He suggested. "The one where we spend Christmas."

"Yeah, that's one train and bus ride away so it should be fine." Maki said with a nod. "Alright, thanks Kei."

"I still have no idea why you had to ask me about it." The red haired male pointed out. "But whatever, I had something to tell you anyway."

Maki looked back at Kei, "Really? What is it?"

Kei opened his mouth but was interrupted when he heard a car pull up. He looked at the window with a raised eyebrow. "Dad's back? I thought he was working overtime." He muttered as he made his way to the window to look out to see a black haired female with a Labrador Retriever on one hand and a cane on the other. "Mom?"

"Mayuri-san's back? I thought you said she would come back a month later." Maki pointed out and Kei shrugged.

"That's what I thought to." Kei then gestured for her to follow, "Come on, let's greet her."

Maki nodded. The two walked downstairs and towards the door where Kazu had welcomed his master. "Welcome back!" Kei exclaimed as he fast walked towards his mother to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Mayuri looked at his general direction and then received the hug tenderly. "I'm back Kei."

Kei broke the hug and then stepped back a bit and then kneeled down and petted the dog, "You too Jyoshi." He then looked back at Mayuri.

"Welcome back Mayuri-san." Maki said as she walked towards the female.

"Maki-chan? Ah, hello there. And thank you." Mayuri held out her left hand towards Maki's voice. The red haired female responded by taking Mayuri's left hand and then placing it on her face which she then proceeded to feel… to 'see' how much Maki has grown. "My, my, I always knew you were a beautiful child. Just like your mother." She said as she retracted her hand.

Maki blushed at the compliment and muttered a 'thanks' as she stepped back.

"Have you changed the layout of the house?" Mayuri turned to Kazu for the answer.

"No ma'am. It is the same as when you left." Kazu replied and Mayuri nodded, picking up her cane and then making her way to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

"Is Miroku here?"

"Dad's working overtime again. Doubt he'll be back before one in the morning." Kei replied as he stood up. "Shall I get some tea?"

"Young master I-"

Kei raised his hand. "Mom?"

"Yes please."

The red haired male disappeared into the kitchen leaving Mayuri and Maki. "How was your trip?" Maki asked absentmindedly.

"It was tiring. It seems a lot of people have been reading my books, and some even translated it into other languages. Even though it was originally Braille to begin with." Mayuri replied with a bashful smile.

"That's good isn't it?"

"I don't know. I spent a year away from my family; I don't know if that entails a good job or not." She replied before smiling again, "Let's get away from this topic."

"Are you excited on seeing Alexavier and Cassandra again?"

"Mom! I was supposed to tell her!" Kei called out as he came back with a tray of teapot and four cups. He looked worriedly at Maki who had looked down. He placed the tray on the table and poured one cup for his mother and gave it to her.

"My, didn't she know?"

"No." Maki replied. She took a deep breath and looked back up. "I don't really mind though. I have to focus on being a school idol for now." She then stood up. "I'll be going now."

"You're not staying?"

"No thank you."

"Should I get Kazu to drive you? It's pretty late at night."

"No, I'll be fine."

Maki bowed at Kazu and then bid farewell to the other two and then left the house. She was practically dragging her feet towards her house with only the light of the lampposts illuminating her path. Of all the people who were going to visit, it had to be them. Had to be him. She needed to concentrate on the Love Live for crying out loud!

There was still the issue with Shun. She hadn't given him a proper answer. Everything was happening all at once and she definitely couldn't do anything to stop it. She had to solve these problems one at a time. While it is true that she could depend on her friends on problems, this one was different. She wanted this under wraps. She'd have to talk to Kei about it too; if anything, it would be able to give her time to finish the Love Live. Then deal with… him, and then Shun.

Her hands clenched as she walked back. Sometimes, her family name did get in the way of what she wanted to do. Sometimes it could be a pain to carry. Sometimes, she truly did want to switch places with her friends.

Reaching her house, she quickly made her way to her room and lied down on her bed. "Life as a Nishikino isn't as happy as they think it is."

* * *

"No fair, I wanna come along too!" Shun complained. He and the other males had decided to accompany girls to the train station as they were headed towards the Nishikino summer house.

"I know how you feel Shun!" Kei exclaimed almost dramatically as he slung his arm around the brown haired male.

Reifu crossed his arms. "Come on you two. Who knows what kind of thing might pop up when a fan sees three guys with Muse when they're supposed to be at training camp?"

"Scandal!"

"The band!"

The two then shared a laugh. They then looked at the female group. "Anyway, Sato-kun's right, we can't have you guys joining us." Eri said before patting Kei's head. Thanks to the male only being a little taller than her, it didn't take that much effort to do it. "So stay here and be good."

"Hai~" Kei said before stepping back and then placing both hands behind his head.

Reifu approached Nozomi. "Good luck and stay safe." Was the only thing he said and the byzantine haired girl replied with a smile.

"I can't wait to hear the new song you guys'll make." Shun said with a thumbs up and a smile. "Enjoy your time there too. Oh, and send us pictures!"

Honoka gave him a thumbs up. "You got it Katanashi-kun!"

"Thanks Kousaka-san!" Shun smiled at them. "I really do hope you pass the prelims. We're going to be watching~"

"Yeah, no pressure." Reifu said before smacking Shun lightly on the head.

Maki looked at the time. "We should be going." She pointed out and the three nodded.

"Sure sure!" Kei exclaimed. "Bye~"

Everyone bid farewell after that and then the girls headed on inside the station to board their train. The boys then turned to head back home. It was the weekend after all. Weekend meant no classes, no classes meant no going to school, and no going to school meant they can laze around all day without anyone reprimanding them.

Shun stopped the two though, before they went on their separate ways. "You two free for the day?"

"Yeah, I'm free." Kei nodded.

"Why? You need help with the manga again?" Shun asked, cutting to the chase. It wasn't too odd for him to help Reifu with the manga. To be honest, he occasionally asks Kei as well when he needs it, especially if he's cutting it close.

"While I do need help there, that's not it." Reifu replied. "Amagiri students… they know about Muse right?"

"Yeah, they became famous in almost an instant in our school, surprisingly." Kei nodded.

"Are they fans?"

Kei shook his head. "As far as I know, no. They just know them but don't really follow save for a few people"

"Kei, are you some sort of stalker or something?"

"A president is the most informed person in the school." He had a smile of confidence before chuckling and then shaking his head. "Just kidding. I'm a fan of Muse, so naturally I can find other fans in the school body. Even then, only a select few are hardcore fans."

"I'm surprised they didn't faint when they found out that we would be working with Otonokizaka." Reifu pointed out.

"Ha, they didn't want ot look bad in front of their idols." Kei replied. "So, why ask?"

"I was thinking that maybe we could help Muse win the Love Live. We can talk to the other students to support Muse."

Kei shook his head. "We can't force them to take Muse's side, as much as I want to. They need to come naturally."

"Perhaps we can show them clips?"

"In school? I may be the President but I can't just randomly play a video of Muse to the entire student body. The teachers won't allow it. It has nothing to do with our studies." Kei pointed out.

"How about the lunch radio?" Shun asked.

The two males looked at Shun. "The lunch radio?"

"We can ask the broadcasting team to play the music of Muse. We'll see the feedback after that. We can do it once a week so the students won't grow annoyed." Shun replied.

"That's not such a bad idea." Reifu said with a nod.

"I can definitely make that happen." Kei said with a nod. "Since it's just music, it won't really be a bother."

The three nodded with each other and set off to plan more of what they think they can do to help Muse.

* * *

The ringing of his phone instantly woke him up. "Of all the times, it just had to be when I was finally having a good night's sleep…" Kei groaned to himself. He wasn't at all excited. After all, he knew it wasn't going to be Eri since they were on training camp and wasn't going to call him. He rose up from his position and then lazily answered the phone.

"Hello?"

 _"Kei! Hey, hey, hey!"_

"Cassie?" Kei muttered. "How are you doing?"

 _"I'm doing fine! I know it's night there and I'm really, really sorry for calling this late."_

"You better be. I was sleeping soundly."

 _"Hehe, sorry, sorry! Anyhow, our flight has been set in stone. It's going to be in November!"_

Kei frowned. November? That's before the Love Live ends. Tch, he'll have to work around this huh? "Really now? Don't you have school though?"

 _"Are you trying to keep us from going? Pray tell why."_

"Hey, I'm just asking."

 _"I see, I see. Well anyway, father has some business in Japan and he decided to take all of us. You think school is going to stop that?"_

"I suppose not…"

 _"So anyway, that's our schedule." She then went quiet. "Um… how's Maki?"_

"Stressed out. You know about her being a school idol and they joined the Love Live. WIth you two adding onto her piles of problem, I fear for the worst."

 _"I knew it. I just hope everything works out."_

"With the most recent problem, I really hope so. I'm counting on you too, Cassie, with helping us. Have you told Alex anything?"

 _"Of course not! It's up to him to find out about things."_

"You're a horrible sister."

 _"I prefer being called secretive. Besides, you're no good too you know. You won't let me call her."_

"I told you, she's focused on being a school idol right now. No time for your problems."

 _"Overprotective."_

"I prefer the term concerned."

The two share a laugh.

 _"Alright, goodbye Kei! See you then."_

"Yeah."

The line went dead and Kei sighed. He was willing to bet that Maki was busy composing a song right now. But he needed to tell her. He didn't want to repeat what happened earlier in the week where his mother told her about them coming. Oh man, he hated how much of a coward he was. Especially when it came to her. Ooh boy, once they finish the prelims, then he'll tell her. Can't have her too distracted after all.

* * *

 **A/N: *Prepares shield for comments about it being rushed and how Honoka gives up too easily***

 **That aside, I hope you enjoyed this. Sorry for the late update once again. School has started and the schedule is just torture. Don't worry though, I plan on seeing this through the end.**

 **TsUNaMyWaVe: Ah, yeah. It took me a long time to decide whether or not Eri should leave and I decided for her to leave solely for the purpose of having Rin think by herself. Sorry if it came off as a bit OOC and wrong.**

 **FieryKataX310: Well I did just put Nico there just for comic relief, hence the fourth wall breaking. And yeah, Umi, sorry. Her screen time will come, but for now...**

 **lol: Aw, poor Nico. Second years, huh? Like I said, Umi will get some spotlight but expect Kotori to be the most prominent in the second years.**

 **MusicLovingPunkAnimeGirl: *Rin cheers and says thank you***


	16. Chapter 16

The sound of the alarm going off was what woke Shun up. He groaned before reaching out for the clock and then stopping it. He slowly opened his eyes and then rose up from bed. His eyes slowly drifting around the apartment room and then to his watch.

5:00? What kind of person puts an alarm on such an ungodly hour of the morning when it's a holiday! He was planning on going back to his bed and sleeping in when he heard three methodical knocks on his door. It was Reifu.

Groaning once more, he stood up to answer the door. He opened the door and groggily greeted Reifu, "Mornin'... what are you doing all dressed up?"

"Oi, idiot. Did you forget that we're picking up the girls at the station?"

His words slapped him awake and his eyes widened upon remembering. "Oh, that's right!" They were arriving on the first train to Akihabara. Oh man, he forgot. "Ah, come in first Reifu. I'll be quick!" He left the door open for Reifu to enter before leaving to wash up and put on some appropriate clothing.

Reifu walked into the apartment room of his friend and then sat down on one of the chairs, his eyes on his phone as his friend rushed around everywhere to prepare. This was a normal thing for Reifu. Whenever it's morning, Shun somehow always forgets about his plans for the day. That's where he comes into play. He's used to waking up so early and never forgets his agenda for the day.

But Shun is faithful to his words. He was quick with his preparations and before it was even twenty minutes, he was ready to go. "Let's go?"

Reifu slid his phone back in his pocket and then stood up. "Yeah. Kei should be waiting in front of the station." The two then headed out after locking the door.

It was so early that the sun hasn't even risen yet. But the trains should be going by now and the girls were already on their way. Besides, by the time they get there, the sun would be rising already. They greeted some old ladies from their apartment that have been out and about, doing morning shopping and cleaning and whatnot.

It didn't take long for them to reach the station. The girls should be arriving any time now too. Kei was sitting on the stairs that led to the entrance of the station. Since there weren't any trains arriving yet (and it was certainly not rush hour), he didn't worry too much with being pushed around. He was busying himself with his phone, but he looked oddly serious.

"Mornin' Kei." Shun greeted which made the male to look up.

"Yo, you took your sweet time huh?" Kei joked with a grin as he pocketed his phone.

"Shun forgot all about it."

"H-Hey!"

The two shared a laugh at Shun's expense. Kei stood up and then dusted himself off. "The train should be arriving anytime now."

"Good thing we weren't late." Reifu said, a sigh of relief escaping his mouth.

"I'd think they would beat us up for making them wait." Kei said. "Girls don't like waiting for boys to arrive you know?"

"I don't think 'beating you up' physically would do any good to our image. Perhaps berating you should be suffice."

Betraying her words, Eri lightly chopped Kei on the head and the male just replied with a light chuckle.

"Welcome back." Reifu greeted to the girls after Eri's actions.

"It's good to be back." Nozomi replied as she descended the stairs and gave her boyfriend a quick hug before letting go.

"I'd rather get a longer hug but…" Reifu said. "I suppose it'll work for now."

"Eh, we should've known what would happen when we fell in love with school idols, of all people." Kei said with a shrug. He then looked at the girls. Taking a notice that many were still relatively sleepy, Rin especially, and they were practically nodding off in their sleep. He said, "Come on guys. I think the girls would fall asleep on their feet if this continues."

Shun nodded. "Alright." He then looked around. "But wait, who'll walk who? Reifu, Kei and I are all headed in the same direction."

Reifu looked at Shun with what seems like unimpressed eyes. "I'm walking Nozomi back to her place of course. I can also get Hanayo and Rin back to their homes no problem."

"I'll take Eri-senpai and the second years then~. Maybe even Yazawa-san." Kei said with a smile. "Kazu's waiting for me anyway so it's fine."

Kei grinned at Shun and Reifu gave him a nod. "E-Eh? Wait that means…" He then looked at Maki who looked like she couldn't care less.

"I don't really mind." Maki said with a shrug as she twirled her finger around her hair. She had her bag hanging on her left hand.

The red haired male grinned. "Oh? She doesn't mind she says..." He was obviously teasing her.

"No, I don't." She sent a very subtle glare at him and he raised his hands.

"Okay~" Kei then gestured for the four girls to follow him. "Come on, Kazu's waiting closeby. I think you girls need more shut eye."

"Hai~" Honoka replied sleepily and half-walked, half-stumbled towards Kei's direction and the male decided to help her at least walk straight. The red haired male looked at Eri and the blonde stared approvingly at his actions.

"You two need help?" He joked, looking at the fully awake Umi and Kotori, who seemed fine.

"No thank you." Umi replied with a shake of her head.

"How about you Yazawa-san?" He looked at the black haired girl who was almost in the same state as Honoka who was then leaning on Eri.

"She already has help." Eri said with a light giggle.

"Eri-chan~" Nico called out.

"Hm? What is it Nico?"

"I'm going to be the number one idol in the whole universe! So watch out!"

Eri smiled softly. "Right, right."

Kei wanted to chuckle but couldn't since he'll be disturbing the half awake girl leaning on him. He then adjusted his grip on Honoka so he felt comfortable helping her. He was obviously careful not to touch anything on the girl, fearing what would happen to him should the girls notice it. "Come on girls." He urged the girls to get a move on.

"See you tomorrow then girls." Eri said, waving goodbye to the others and then left with Kei and the other second years. Kei had visible struggle with keeping Honoka from falling over, falling asleep and walking. But he seemed to be having fun steering the ginger haired girl. It wasn't soon until they were out of sight and presumably heading for his car.

"Kousaka-senpai is surprisingly heavy." Kei commented.

"Hey, I'm not heavy!" Honoka complained, thrashing around causing the male to laugh as he tried to regain control. It only lasted for a few moments before she slumped back to her original sleepy state.

"Indeed she is." Umi said with a nod, but Honoka thankfully didn't retaliate. Maybe she was truly asleep this time and was sleepwalking?

Kotori giggled. "She's cute when she's asleep though."

"It's weird how she's still walking though. Is she even conscious?" Eri asked, looking at Kei who's the one holding her.

"Doubt it." Kei replied. "She's really leaning onto me."

"Do you need help Taka-kun?" Kotori asked worriedly. She knew Kei was physically fit, given that his condition needed it, but his condition was precisely why she was worried.

Kei shook his head. "Nah, the car's over there anyway." He pointed at the black van that was parked, alone in the lot. Not suspicious at all. He waved at Kazu who had opened their doors. "Hop in."

* * *

The others nodded and waved goodbye. "We should probably get going too." Reifu said to Maki and Shun. He turned to the yawning Rin who seemed to have exerted herself yesterday and was paying the price.

Walking towards his orange haired best friend, he poked her cheek. "Want me to carry you?"

"Yeah~" She replied, arms outstretched towards him. Reifu smiled, turned around and then carried Rin on a piggyback.

"No fair!" Nozomi jokingly got upset.

"Well you're not sleepy so I didn't think you'd need a lift." Reifu said with a shrug. "Although I promise to carry you if you fall asleep on dates."

The byzantium haired girl crossed her arms. "Yeah but carrying another girl while in the presence of your girlfriend is ungentlemanly." She then realized the mistake she had made and corrected herself, "I mean you shouldn't carry another girl if you have a girlfriend."

Reifu chuckled at her mistake. "But Rin's my best friend and kind of my childhood friend too and I bear no feelings to her. You should know that you have my undivided love."

This made Nozomi blush. "Let's go." She said before proceeding to walk towards the direction of their homes.

Hanayo quickly followed with Reifu close behind. The blue haired male felt Rin's head on his back and her light snoring. "She's out cold."

The brown haired girl smiled. "It remind me of when we used to go out and come back really late. Rin-chan always falls asleep and you had to carry her back."

"Always."

Nozomi peeked back at the two conversing but decided to not interrupt. She happily listened as the two looked back on their past, when they were all so close. Back when they weren't terribly busy with their lives that caused a rift in their friendship, and how glad they were that they were able to reacquaint themselves with each other and stitch up the rift that had formed.

* * *

"Let's go shall we?" Shun awkwardly invited the red haired girl who nodded in response. The two then began to walk towards the way to their home.

There was an awkward silence that hung above them. Shun's nervousness being the main cause of it. While he had no problem interacting with her with friends around, alone was something else entirely. Whenever he's alone with her, he remembers the time of his confession especially since it was only a few weeks back.

"Uh, er, so how's the song?" Shun asked to fill the void.

"We managed to do it, somehow." Maki replied with a sigh before taking out her phone and her earphones. She then offered one to Shun and placed the other in her ear.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to hear it or not?"

"Oh." Shun then placed the earphone on his ear. Maki played the song and Shun happily listened to it. It was just the piano version of it though.

"No accompaniment yet?" Shun asked as they continued to walk and listen to the music.

Maki shook her head. "I was planning to do it later."

"How do you get the accompaniment? Do you have someone working with you?"

"Hm? Oh I use computer generated music for that." Maki replied. "It isn't as good, but it does well enough."

"Isn't that a lot of work? I heard that making it sound natural is quite a challenge."

"It is. But it's worth it."

"We'll help you then." Shun offered with a grin. "I mean, we are a band. Reifu, Heiji and me. Kei knows how to play a guitar too if I'm not mistaken so we can ask him to play with us."

"You will? I didn't even ask for help..." She raised her eyebrow at him.

"It sounded like you need help with me. Besides, it'll sound better and you'll get more rest." Shun replied, the grin never disappearing from his face.

Maki smiled. "Thanks."

"I'll call them later then. Er, you have a recording studio?"

"Of course I do. Who do you think I am?"

"Right, right." Shun replied with a light chuckle. They fell into silence, with the music of Muse filling the silence for the two.

Once they reached Maki's house, Shun said, "So, we'll meet later… how about ten?"

Maki nodded. "Sure."

"Make sure to get your rest. We'll wait."

The red haired female saw the concern in his eyes. With only a nod in response, she entered her house and waved goodbye. Satisfied that she gave a nod, Shun went back home with a grin on his face.

* * *

It was around ten in the morning.

Five people stood inside the recording studio. Two of them had their jaws open at the sheer shock of the place and the last one looked very impressed. It was obviously a top-notch recording studio, even if none of them had even heard of the place before. The instruments itself would've cost a ton of money, since they were top of the line brands.

"Is this yours Nishikino-san?" Heiji asked, looking around in wonder.

Maki nodded. "Father owns this place. He used to be in a band before and they used to do some recordings before he ultimately quit and let this studio be rented." She explained the history behind the place.

"Did they release albums? I mean, they are in a recording studio, they must have some CDs of their songs." Shun asked, curious about the band that had first played in this place.

The red haired girl shrugged. "He only told me the story but never told me the name of the band or where the CDs are." She would often ask for it before, when she was a child. But her father just won't budge. It must've been embarrassing for him.

"I see." Shun replied before taking a seat behind the drums and then took hold of the drumsticks that was placed near the drums. He started to get the feel of the instrument before him, the others did so as well with their instruments. "Who'll be recording it? You're going to play too right Maki?"

"I have a friend who will arrive later on. For now, we'll have to come up with the arrangement." Maki replied.

"Got it."

"Roger that!"

The four began to talk on what they should do. Kei didn't really have much knowledge in music to contribute. He knows how to play and read notes but he wasn't as skilled as the others. They were quick about it and, while they failed the first few times, they did make good progress. They would continue for two hours before Maki's friend had entered.

Turns out it was one of his father's employees who took care of the studio. He brought some lunch for the kids. They happily accepted and ate the lunch provided. They began talking with the employee and other stuff. The man's name was Amatsuki Ichigo, a man around his mid-20s. He was new, a highschool dropout thanks to lack of finances. He was looking for work when he saw that the studio needed a new employee. He jumped at the request. Not only was he a musician, but he also knew his way around a studio.

"Wait, what happened to the previous employee here?" Heiji asked with a tilt of his head.

"He… er…" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, shooting a glance of help towards Maki.

"He passed away, three years ago." The red haired girl replied pretty bluntly. "He had a disease, I forgot what it was though. He owed a debt to my father and decided to take on the studio."

"Kurosaki-san was a nice guy… I worked with him for a good six months before he passed." Ichigo admitted.

"Oh…" The room went silent. They had just finished their lunch so they couldn't focus on something else.

Ichigo then clapped his hands once. "Alrighty then! Are you guys done with practicing so we can start recording?" He asked.

"We're still not done." Maki said.

"Ah, maybe you can help us Amatsuki-san. You're a musician right?" Reifu proceeded to say.

"Oh, uh… alright." Ichigo said with a nod.

And so the six went back and started making the arrangement once more. It had been easier with an older and more experienced person with them and they were soon ready for the recording. It took them only another hour to finish.

The recording was definitely a success. With Maki's voice and the notes written for them as their guide, they only took three tries before perfecting it. Well, technically they have been practicing for the longest time now so it was understandable that they got it on the third take.

Shun grinned as he looked at the others and held the drumsticks in his hands. "Haha, that was fun!"

"Indeed it was." Reifu agreed with a nod. "The instruments sounded great too." He continued, patting the bass guitar that he was holding.

"Is this the first time you guys actually recorded something?" Maki questioned.

Heiji nodded. "Yeah, we never had the funds to rent a studio. Between club needs and our personal needs, we never really had enough money to pay for it."

Maki sent a glare at Kei who raised his hands. "Hey, budget's really low. Father might be sponsoring Amagiri but even that's limited." He reasoned. "I may be his son but that and this are two different things."

As they talked, they exited the recording room. "Well if that's the case, you can use this studio free of charge." Maki looked at Ichigo who was listening. "That should be fine right?"

Ichigo nodded. "If you say so Maki-chan." He then looked at the three who were joyful at the idea. "But of course, since you are using this place for free, that means that you can't record when someone has already rented for it."

"That's fine with us." Reifu replied with a nod. "I dare say we still have the upper hand on the deal."

Ichigo and Maki looked at each other with a smile. The former looked back at Reifu, "I see you aren't aware of just how many people rent this place. The only reason why you had it all to yourselves for this day was because Maki-chan asked for it in advance."

That made Reifu frown. "Maybe we'll try renting it then."

"Good luck with the funds." Kei replied. Maki sent a sharp jab to his side, careful not to aggravate his heart, but it still stung like hell. The red haired male grunted at the contact. "Fine. I'll try to tie some ends to get you the money. But don't make it a regular occurence. We still have other clubs to fund."

Shun chuckled in delight, "Thanks kaichou!" He exclaimed. He had the sudden urge to hug the male but decided against it. He could easily say that things are going his way. He got to spend time with Maki, actually record something and help their new friends with their little dilemma.

Kei's phone began to ring. His happy expression turned sour for only a moment before he excused himself. Only Maki could catch the change in his expression but she ultimately decided not to pry. Kei will tell her in time, just like how she'll tell him her secrets when the time comes.

"How was your trip?" Reifu decided to ask to fill with idle conversation.

"It was fun, at the very least. The others helped us with the lyrics, music and costumes." Maki shared as she idly played with her hair.

"I hope nothing bad happened in your camp." Heiji said.

"Actually, Rin and Nico-chan fell into the river from a cliff." Maki said and the others exchanged worried looks. "Don't worry. They were fine. You saw them earlier."

"Even so, I'm glad they aren't hurt." Reifu said. "Rin doesn't get too injured when you think about it. She probably has the best luck out of all of us." He looked at Shun as he said this.

"Yeah, she does! But she drained all the luck out of me!" Shun said with a huff. "I'm always the one that gets hurt in the end."

It was at that time that Kei entered.

"Who was it?" Maki asked, looking at her best friend.

"It was father. He wanted to know how mom was doing."

"He still hasn't returned home?"

Kei shook his head. "Father apparently had an extended business trip. When I told him that mom came back, he wanted to ditch everything and go home… but he couldn't."

"Anyhow! What were you guys talking about?" The red haired male redirected the conversation so they would stop.

"Just reminiscing about the times when we were kids." Reifu replied. "Hm, that reminds me." He then looked at Maki and Kei. "You two are childhood friends right?"

Maki nodded. "That's right."

"Then what was it like?"

"Oh, Kei before was different." Maki started and Kei remained silent. "When I met him in the hospital, he was silent, cynical and pessimistic. Surprisingly so for a kid."

"It actually took me around five months to be all chipper and happy." Kei continued, an oddly blank look on his face. He was staring at nothing, like it was some sort of traumatizing event in his life. While it is traumatizing in a way, it was still odd how he claims that he has gotten over it and yet here he is, staring at a wall. "And another four months to get out of the hospital."

There was a stunning silence, no one would speak. Maki sighed. "But anyway, after the whole hospital ordeal, we continued playing with each other, talking with each other and such. Our houses were pretty close to each other so we often visit each other."

The blank look on Kei's face disappeared and was changed to a more happy one. "I used to sleep over there too!" The quick change of demeanor was quite shocking but they ruled it out as his weird and eccentric behavior. "That's why Maki-chan's parents know me so well~"

Maki nodded. "I slept over at his place too."

"So you two never went to school together?" Reifu asked.

Kei shook his head. "Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, no."

"What do you mean by that Kei?" Shun asked. If anything, he would consider it lucky to actually be classmates or even schoolmates with her. Then again, that just might be his love for her talking.

"Maki restricts a lot of things I do, especially when I was a kid. Couldn't relax with her around." Kei admitted but Maki didn't react. It seems she knew about it as well and just didn't care enough to call him out on it. "So when I'm in school, I get to kick back and relax and do whatever I want."

"As for me, I didn't want to be burdened with looking out for him twenty-four-seven.." Maki said with a sigh. Sure she had to look after him and she kind of enjoys it but it is tiring. "And he does know what's good and what's not for him so I think he can take care of himself perfectly fine. Besides, if I had to look at his face for any longer than a whole day I might go crazy."

"I think our parents are psychic or something 'cause they didn't put us in the same school together." Kei said with a shrug. He honestly had nothing to do with that. He had only been a kid back then, untrained in the arts of persuasion.

"Interesting." Reifu said with a nod. "You two never fell in love with each other?"

"I'd rather give up tomatoes than date him."

"I'd rather die first than date this girl."

The quick and negative response took the two by surprise. "But I thought you two liked each other." Reifu questioned. "Not like in a romantic way but you know…"

Kei leaned back on the chair, slouching on it. "I mean, yeah, I like Maki… but dating her? I'm not too keen on the idea."

Maki nodded in agreement. "He's fun to be with and all, and he's been with me ever since we were kids… but I just can't see myself entering a romantic relationship with him."

"It disgusts me for some reason." They said both at the same time.

Reifu nodded his head. "It's weird, but if that's what you guys say then I suppose it's the truth."

Kei grinned. "How about you Reifu, Shun? Didn't you fall in love with Koizumi-san or Hoshizora-san?"

Reifu shook his head and replied, "I'm not exactly looking for a love interest back then."

Shun, on the other hand, rubbed the back of his head. "I kind of had a crush on Hanayo-chan when we were kids. I still admire her up to now to be honest." He looked quickly at Maki would had no visible reactions. "But it's only a friendly kind of admiration."

"Well to be honest, Hanayo is a charming person." Maki said and everyone turned to her as she shared what she had to say. "She's cute, knows how to cook and overall pretty mellow."

Kei chuckled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a crush on Koizumi-san. "

"If you got to know her better, I know you'll agree." Maki pointed out as she crossed her arms.

"From what I have seen so far, I know what you mean." The red haired male replied with a nod.

"Should you even be saying that even if you have a girlfriend already?" Reifu asked, looking at the school student council president.

Kei shrugged. "Eri-senpai hasn't really gotten angry when I say things like this. I think she understands me well. How about Toujou-senpai?"

"I think Nozomi is just acting all jealous, but it's all fine." Reifu said with a shrug. He then looked at Shun. "So how are you and Nishikino-san?"

Shun's face immediately turned red and Maki looked away. "R-R-Rei! What the hell man!" It was met by a boisterous laughter from Kei.

Kei started patting Maki's back while saying, "Yeah, yeah, you never told me what happened next."

Maki leaned back and swatted Kei's hand away which was met with more laughing. Her cheeks were as red as her hair. "Shut up Kei!"

Ichigo, who had been listening while cleaning, commented, "Oh so Maki-chan has a boyfriend?"

"A suitor to be exact." Reifu replied to which Shun covered his face with his arm in a vain attempt to cover and hide his embarrassment.

"Oh? Good luck kid. That's a Nishikino you know. Top class." Ichigo crossed his arms with with a grin on his face.

"Only child to boot." Kei mused as he leaned back on the chair.

"Doesn't look all that interested either." Reifu continued as if to rub salt on an open wound.

"Jee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Anyway, things are getting pretty awkward, talking about this while both subjects are present." Kei said, gesturing to Maki and Shun.

Maki stood up. "I'm going back home. Whatever little rest I had before this has burned out." Ichigo gave her the hard drive with the song in it. Earning a quick 'thank you' from Maki, Ichigo then headed inside the studio to clean up.

Kei stood up. "You want me to-"

"No thanks." Maki shook her head and waved him off. "I'll be fine."

"You just said you don't have much energy." Kei said, oddly worried this time around.

"I can take care of myself." The red haired girl said passively with a shrug and then placed the hard drive in her bag and shouldered it.

"I'll walk you home though." Shun offered and quickly packed his bag.

"I can…" She stopped and then sighed. "Fine, you won't listen to me anyway." She already headed outside but she could really feel Kei's snicker from behind her. Shun quickly stumbled towards her. "I think I would be the one to walk you home."

Shun smiled bashfully. "Sorry." He then straightened his posture and then began walking with her.

Kei and Reifu looked at each other, the former having a big grin on his face. "Improvement?" The blue haired male asked.

"I would think so. Maki's really warming up to him." Kei said with an approving nod. "Hey, did you know, that if someone confesses to you, you slowly start to actually have feelings for him even if you originally did not. It's mostly because you notice them more." He shared. "Ever heard of that before?"

"No." He replied. "But I guess it does make sense. You think that's what's happening with Maki to Shun?"

"Kind of." Kei shrugged before standing up. "But Maki probably has feelings for him too. Somehow."

"How are you so sure?" The other male asked as he stood up as well.

"Well, when you grew up with someone, it becomes easier to spot things." Kei grinned at his friend. "Trust me, Maki knows a lot of things about me."

Reifu shrugged, "I guess that is true." He then looked over to Ichigo who had just exited the studio. "Until next time Amatsuki-san."

"Bye Ichigo-san!"

"Stay safe kids." Ichigo waved back at them as they left the studio.

Kei yawned rather loudly as they walked down the near empty road. It was still afternoon so it was odd that no one else was there. But oh well. "I'm heading straight home and collapse on my bed. You Reifu?"

"Probably continue the chapter I was working on." He replied. "The release is expected around next week I think? I'd have to finish it by then."

Kei nodded in understanding. "I see. I assume you're halfway done by now?"

"Something like that."

His passive answer made Kei think he wasn't really telling the truth. Then again, Reifu wasn't known for lying. "Cool."

"I still think you should put ghosts and monsters into that manga of yours."

* * *

 **A/N: DEAR NEPTUNE, THIS TOOK LONGER THAN EXPECTED. Forgive me for the caps and for the extremely long time this took. Remember when I said I moved schools? Did I say that? Anyway, that happened and well… readjusting wasn't as easy as I originally thought. I am truly sorry and will be rewatching the whole series (or select episodes) of LL to get my brain working again. It's Christmas break after all.**


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